Collaborative Research - Model My Watershed: Developing a Cyberlearning Application and Curricula to Enhance Interest in STEM Careers

“我的流域模型”是一个为期三年的项目，旨在为中学生开发、测试和传播一套流域模型工具。它旨在建立在GoogleEarth上，并提供一个动态界面，学生可以在其中导入和添加数据，修改环境条件和底层算法，在协作在线学习环境中工作，并接触STEM职业。该设计基于这样一种信念，即学生应该拥有一个真实的、令人兴奋的、直观的和互动的工具集，让他们能够调查自己的社区。这些调查挑战学生根据科学知识和模型做出现实世界的决定。该项目利用环境科学的复杂性来吸引和激发学生对研究和解决环境问题所必需的各种STEM职业的兴趣。在真实的水文建模工具集中使用现有的科学数据，学生将学习预测生态系统的环境变化如何影响当地流域的水文循环。除了能够修改潜在的环境条件和模型算法，学生们还可以通过使用谷歌SketchUp等工具在景观上绘制新的表面或结构来修改他们的分水岭。一个基于网络的协作交流平台用于学生和学校的网络团队提出问题或挑战，并交流他们的发现。该项目将直接影响费城地区的25名教师和1000名学生，并计划在全国推广。

Model My Watershed is a three year project to develop, test and disseminate a watershed-modeling tool set for secondary students. It is designed to build on GoogleEarth and provide a dynamic interface where students can import as well as add data, modify both environmental conditions and underlying algorithms, work in a collaborative online learning environment, and be exposed to STEM careers. The design is based on the belief that students should have an authentic, exciting, intuitive and interactive tool set that allows them to investigate their own neighborhoods. The investigations challenge students to make real world decisions based on scientific knowledge and models.The project uses the complexity of environmental science to engage and excite students about the diverse STEM careers that are necessary to study and address environmental issues. Using existing scientific data in an authentic, hydrologic modeling toolset, students learn to predict how environmental changes to the ecosystem affect the hydrologic cycle in their local watersheds. In addition to being able to modify the underlying environmental conditions and model algorithms, the students can modify their watershed by drawing new surfaces or structures on the landscape using tools such as Google SketchUp. A collaborative web-based communication platform is used to network teams of students and schools to pose questions or challenges and communicate their findings. The project will directly impact 25 teachers and 1000 students in the Philadelphia area with plans for national dissemination.