Collaborative Project: Using GIS with real-time water quality assessment to guide scientific inquiry and learning in a community college environmental studies program

西北佛罗里达州立大学（NWFSC）是一所两年制大学，目前正在开设一门水生环境科学课程。本课程的基础是一系列现场采样活动，使用现场分析仪器和网络GIS产品的组合来实时评估当地河口生物地球化学参数的空间和时间变化。学生团队正在使用手持式万用表收集数据，对物理参数（温度、盐度和溶解氧）进行现场分析，并使用单独的便携式比色仪测量生物地球化学参数（硝酸盐、铵和磷酸盐）。学生们正在使用野外笔记本电脑（通过无线网卡）将水质数据上传到附近一所四年制大学西佛罗里达大学（UWF）维护的GIS网络服务器上。来自所有采样小组的数据由GIS服务器编译，并用于生成GIS层，这些层使用整个数据集以图形方式描述水质参数的空间变异性。当还在现场时，学生和教师可以立即访问这些GIS层，以获得水质参数空间变化的整个流域视图。这些总结结果用于生成和测试现场假设，或者便于与前几个学期收集并存储在现场笔记本电脑上的历史数据进行现场比较。水生环境科学课程是NWFSC科学系物理科学的一个组成部分。本课程的目标受众包括参加AA计划的学生和参加中学科学教师计划的职前教师。该课程的主要现场采样部分旨在通过创建基于现场数据收集的体验式学习活动，满足与STEM学科和技术劳动力培训相关的许多目标。具体来说，新课程有实地和课堂组成部分，为学生提供在生态评估的背景下使用各种实地技术设备的机会。这种结合的目标是在一个基于现场的项目中同时解决STEM学习和技术能力问题。拟议的实地活动也被用作向西北自然科学中心的两年制大学生介绍地理信息系统技术和环境科学的机会。通过与UWF合作，有机会招收NWFSC学生进入学士和研究生课程。实地活动也正在纳入区域在职高中科学教师讲习班。

A course in Aquatic Environmental Science is being developed at Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC), a two year college. The cornerstone of the course is a series of field sampling activities using a combination of field analytical instruments and web-enabled GIS products to assess, in real-time, spatial and temporal variability of biogeochemical parameters in a local estuary. Teams of students are collecting data using handheld multimeters to perform field analyses for physical parameters (temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen) and separate portable colorimeters to measure biogeochemical parameters (nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate). Students are using field laptop PCs to upload water quality data (via a wireless network card) to a GIS webserver, maintained at a nearby four-year university, the University of West Florida (UWF). The data from all sampling teams are compiled by the GIS server and used to generate GIS layers that graphically depict the spatial variability of water quality parameters using the entire data set. While still in the field, these GIS layers can be immediately accessed by students and instructors to obtain a whole basin view of spatial variation in water quality parameters. These summary results are used to generate and test field hypotheses or to facilitate in-the-field comparison with historical data collected during previous semesters and stored on the field laptop. The Aquatic Environmental Science course is a component of Physical Sciences in the Science Department at NWFSC. The target audience for this course includes students enrolled in an AA program and students enrolled in the Middle School Science Teacher Program for pre-service teachers. The major field sampling component of the course is designed to meet a number of goals related to both STEM disciplines and technical workforce training by creating an experiential learning activity based on field data collection. Specifically, the new course has field and classroom components that provide students with the opportunity to use a variety of field technical equipment within the context of an ecological assessment. The goal of this combination is to simultaneously address STEM learning and technical aptitude within a field-based project. The proposed field activities also are being used as an articulation opportunity to introduce two-year college students at NWFSC to GIS technology and environmental sciences. By collaborating with a UWF there are opportunities for recruiting NWFSC students into baccalaureate and graduate programs. The field activities also are being integrated into a workshop for regional in-service high school science teachers.