Creation of a Course in Computer Methods and Modeling for Undergraduate Earth Science Programs

地球系统科学(40)计算机是地球科学中日益重要的工具，用于古气候学、地震学和水文地质学等领域的研究。许多现在进入研究生院、开始从事咨询职业或在州和联邦政府获得工作的学生被要求使用计算机对复杂的系统进行建模，或者获取和处理数字数据集。其他人则被要求对地质文献中报道的建模项目进行批判性评估。尽管有这些趋势，本科生地质学课程在开设培养这些新兴学习和就业领域技能的课程方面一直进展缓慢。此外，计算机科学课程并不是面向地球科学专业的学生。该项目正在开发地质学课程中的一门课程，以满足本科生对地球科学建模教学的需要。本课程利用由High Performance Systems，Inc.开发的油藏/通量建模软件Stella(R)，讲授系统思维和模型构建的基础知识，并将其应用于各种地质问题。与此同时，学生们正在学习如何用FORTRAN 90计算机语言编程，并学习Linux/Unix操作系统的基础知识。该项目正在调整已经在许多不同研究背景下进行的建模。这门课程与其他大学地质系开发的计算机方法课程的不同之处在于，它通过专注于地质和环境问题的计算机建模来教授学生计算机技能。该项目的最终产品将包括一套详细的课程笔记、练习以及经过调试的Stella(R)和FORTRAN程序，有兴趣在他们的课程中使用这些练习的教师可以免费使用。其他机构的同事将通过《地球科学教育杂志》上的一篇文章以及在美国地质学会和/或本科生研究理事会年度会议上的发言来了解这些练习的可用性。

Earth Systems Science (40) Computers are an increasingly important tool in the Earth Sciences and are used for research in fields such as paleoclimatology, seismology, and hydrogeology. Many students now entering graduate school, embarking on consulting careers, or obtaining jobs with state and federal governments are called upon to use computers to model complex systems or to acquire and handle digital datasets. Others are required to critically evaluate modeling projects reported in the geological literature. Despite these trends, undergraduate geology programs have been slow to initiate courses that develop skills in these emerging areas of study and employment. Furthermore, computer science offerings are not geared toward students in the Earth Sciences. This project is developing a course within the geology curriculum to meet the need for instruction in modeling in the earth sciences at the undergraduate level. This course is making use of the reservoir/flux modeling software STELLA(r), developed by High Performance Systems, Inc., to teach the fundamentals of systems thinking and model construction, with application to a wide variety of geological problems. At the same time, students are learning how to program in the FORTRAN 90 computer language and are learning the basics of the Linux/Unix operating system. The project is adapting modeling which has been done within a number of different research contexts. The course differs from computer methods courses developed by other university geology departments in that it is teaching students computer skills by focusing on computer modeling of geological and environmental problems. The final products of this project will include a detailed package of course notes, exercises, and debugged STELLA(r) and FORTRAN programs available free of charge to faculty interested in using these exercises in their courses. Colleagues at other institutions will be made aware of the availability of these exercises through an article in the Journal of Geoscience Education and through presentations at the annual Geological Society of America and/or Council on Undergraduate Research meetings.