Incorporating Stable Isotope Geochemistry in Undergraduate Education and Research

本科生很少有机会学习稳定同位素地球化学，并在地球化学实验室获得实践经验。这个事实是不幸的，因为稳定同位素地球化学比大多数地球科学分支学科更具跨学科性。例如，稳定同位素被用于研究全球气候变化、地下水/地表水水文学和高温流体岩石相互作用。随着两条廉价稳定同位素提取线的建设，本科生正在体验学习稳定同位素地球化学和地球化学实验室常用的程序。新设备被高年级的两门课程“地下水水文学”和“环境地球化学”的学生使用，并可用于名为“高级探究研究项目”的研究型课程。三周的模块设计使学生(1)收集水和岩石样本；(2)分析样品中碳、氧、氢的稳定同位素；（三）对结果进行解释；(4)写一份研究报告。一旦教师对该模块的功能有了信心，课程项目就会与当地环保公司正在调查的项目相结合。在为期2年的项目期间，可以对项目进行多次评估。与该模块相关的学生和教师可以被要求对其进行评估。他们的意见和对项目评估用户友好手册总结性评估部分列出的问题的回答可以在2年项目结束时报告。模块的实现、应用和结果可以通过四种方式传播。这一过程包括在万维网上发布信息，在公认的地球科学教育期刊上发表，并在全国GSA会议上发表。此外，可以向感兴趣的院士提供一段视频，说明线的构造和实验室中使用的分析程序。＊

Undergraduate students are rarely given opportunities to learn about stable isotope geochemistry and gain hands-on experience in geochemistry laboratories. This fact is unfortunate because stable isotope geochemistry is more interdisciplinary than most geoscience subdisciplines. Stable isotopes are used, for example, to study global climate change, groundwater/surface water hydrology, and high-temperature fluid rock interaction. Following the construction of two inexpensive stable isotope extraction lines, undergraduate students are experientially learning about stable isotope geochemistry and procedures commonly used in geochemistry laboratories. The new equipment is used by students enrolled in two upper-division courses Groundwater Hydrology and Environmental Geochemistry and is available for use in the research-oriented course entitled Senior Inquiry Research Project. Three-week modules are designed so that students (1) collect water and rocks samples; (2) analyze their samples for the stable isotopes of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen; (3) interpret their results; and (4) write a research report. The class projects are integrated with projects that local environmental firms are investigating once faculty have gained confidence with the functionality of this module. The project can be assessed several times during the tenure of the 2-year project. Students and faculty associated with the module can be asked to evaluate it. Their comments and answers to questions listed in the Summative Evaluation section of the User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation can be reported at the termination of the 2-year project. The implementation, application, and results of the module can be disseminated four ways. This process includes distributing the information on the World Wide Web, publishing in a recognized journal on geoscience education, and presenting at a national GSA meeting. In addition, a video that illustrates the construction of the line and analytical procedures used in the l aboratory can be made available to interested academicians. *