Continued Development of the Interactive Prototype Plume Busters Software, an Educational Tool for Undergraduate Ground-water Science

Plume Busters软件的原型是一种创新的、“动手”的工具，学生可以在其中扮演环境顾问的角色，应用地下水原理来解决模拟的污染问题。该项目的目标是扩展功能并增加原型软件的教育价值，该原型软件是由以前的NSF地球科学教育计划项目资助开发的。目前的项目正在开发新的交互式工具，用于自我评估和额外的污染场景，使学生可以选择采用几种不同的补救技术来解决模拟的环境问题。使用原型软件的学生将逐渐面临挑战，他们需要应用以前学到的和新的概念来解决日益复杂的问题。来自堪萨斯地质调查局（KGS）、堪萨斯大学地质系和斯科特堡社区学院环境技术系的地下水科学家和教育工作者组成了这个项目团队。具体而言，该项目包括：(1)与利益相关者合作设计下一代软件原型和评估过程；(2)与当地社区和四年制大学的本科生一起对原型进行实地测试，以评估学生的学习情况；(3)制定计划，将原型推进到全面发展。原型软件将与平台无关，任何人都可以通过KGS的CD-ROM或通过KGS网站的互联网获得。就智力价值而言，Plume Busters使学生能够积极参与科学探究，并在现实的污染场景中解决问题。该项目还为两名计算机科学专业的本科生提供了软件开发方面的实践培训。就更广泛的影响而言，该项目正在创建高质量的、以研究为基础的教育材料，强调在本科教育中整合地球科学、工程和数学概念。

The prototype Plume Busters software is an innovative, "hands-on" tool in which students take on the role of an environmental consultant and apply ground-water principles to solve a simulated contamination problem. The goal of this project is to expand the capabilities and increase the educational value of the prototype software that was developed with funding from a previous NSF Geoscience Education program project. The current project is developing new interactive tools for self-assessment and additional contamination scenarios that shall offer students the option of employing several different remediation technologies to solve simulated environmental problems. Students working with the prototype software are progressively challenged to apply previously learned and new concepts to solve problems of increasing complexity. Ground-water scientists and educators from the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), the University of Kansas Department of Geology, and the Fort Scott Community College Department of Environmental Technologies form the project team. Specifically, the project is: (1) working with stakeholders to design the next generation software prototype and the process used to evaluate it, (2) field-testing the prototype to evaluate student learning with undergraduates from local community and four-year colleges, and (3) formulating a plan to carry the prototype forward to full development. The prototype software will be platform independent and broadly available to anyone on CD-ROM from the KGS or over the Internet from the KGS website.With respect to intellectual merit, Plume Busters enables students to actively engage in scientific inquiry and problem solving in the context of realistic contamination scenarios. The project is also providing two undergraduate computer science students with practical training in software development. With respect to broader impact, the project is creating high quality, research-based educational materials that stress integrating geoscience, engineering, and mathematics concepts in undergraduate education.