HR: 09:30h
AN: ED41C-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Bringing Undergraduates and Geoscientists Together for Field-Based Geophysical Education and Research at an On-Campus Well Field
AU: * Day-Lewis, F D
EM: fdaylewi@bucknell.edu
AF: Bucknell University, Department of Geology, O'Leary Center, Lewisburg, PA 17837 United States
AU: Gray, M B
EM: mbgray@bucknell.edu
AF: Bucknell University, Department of Geology, O'Leary Center, Lewisburg, PA 17837 United States
AB: Development of our Hydrogeophysics Well Field has enabled new opportunities for field-based undergraduate research and active-learning at Bucknell University. Installed in 2001-2002, the on-campus well field has become a cornerstone of field labs for hydrogeology and applied geophysics courses, and for introductory labs in engineering and environmental geology. In addition to enabling new field experiences, the well field serves as a meeting place for students and practicing geoscientists. In the last three years, we have hosted field demonstrations by alumni working in the environmental, geophysical, and water-well drilling industries; researchers from government agencies; graduate students from other universities; and geophysical equipment vendors seeking to test and demonstrate new instruments. Coordinating undergraduate research and practical course labs with field experiments led by alumni and practicing geoscientists provides students hands-on experience with new technology while educating them about career and graduate-school opportunities. In addition to being effective pedagogical strategy, these experiences are well received by students -- enrollment in our geophysics course has tripled from three years ago. The Bucknell Hydrogeophysics Well Field consists of five bedrock wells, installed in a fractured-rock aquifer in the Wills Creek Shale. The wells are open in the bedrock, facilitating geophysical and hydraulic measurements. To date, student have helped acquire from one or more wells: (1) open-hole slug- and aquifer-test data; (2) packer test data from isolated borehole intervals; (3) flow-meter logs; (4) acoustic and optical televiewer logs; (5) standard borehole logs including single-point resistance, caliper, and natural-gamma; (6) borehole video camera; (7) electrical resistivity tomograms; (8) water levels while drilling; and (9) water chemistry and temperature logs. Preliminary student-led data analysis indicates that sparse discrete fractures dominate the response of water levels to pumping. The three sets of fractures observed in the wells are consistent with those observed in outcrops around Bucknell: (1) bedding sub-parallel fractures; (2) joints; and (3) fractures parallel to rock cleavage. Efforts are ongoing to develop a CD-ROM of field data, photographs and video footage documenting the site and experiments; the CD is intended for publication as a "Virtual Field Laboratory" teaching tool for undergraduate hydrogeology and applied geophysics. We have seen the benefits of merging theory and practice in our undergraduate curriculum, and we seek to make these benefits available to other schools.
DE: 8000 STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY (New field, replaces single entry 8165)
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design
DE: 0850 Geoscience education research
DE: 0915 Downhole methods
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting