This project helps familiarize students with data commonly available from well drillers, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. Such data is often used to produce consulting reports. In this exercise, students practice working with available data and writing a consulting report while working on a real project of local interest. The question involves the probability of success in drilling a large well for a new county park. Students are given various maps and are guided through the use of a statewide database that contains well logs and well data. The outcome is a written report that describes the location and general geology of the site, uses the available data to summarize the types of materials that a driller might encounter, answers the questions that the client is interested in, and identifies problems or advantages presented by the groundwater system as indicated by available data.

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This homework assignment is designed to give the students practice in developing a simple conceptual model using reservoirs, fluxes, and simple calculations of sediment, carbon and nutrient accumulation in a typical reservoir/river system. This assignment is typically used after an introductory lecture to biogeochemical cycles and gives the students a concrete example of nutrient and sediment issues in surface water systems.

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This is an in-class activity analyzing our drinking water reservoir, but would apply to any reservoir for which there are basic crest/elevation data and maps available.

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Students collect data for this term project starting with the first lab exercise and continuing throughout the semester. As each unit is covered in the text, class, and lab, students are directed to collect data relevant to their term project. For example: Topographic maps are covered at the start of the semester and students must locate their home; describe its location using the Public Land Survey, Universal Transverse Mercator, and Longitude-Latitude Systems; and describe the local topography. When natural hazards (flooding, slopes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and radon gas) are covered, students must use web resources (some of which are provided by the instructor at http://www2.ivcc.edu/phillips/geology/environmental_research.htm), local resources (such as the local fire chief, library, mayor, relatives, and neighbors), and personal observation to identify hazards and assess the risk they pose; these hazards are submitted as part of a lab assignment. The information collected is analyzed using the principles discussed in class and feedback is provided on pieces that are submitted throughout the semester. At the conclusion of the semester, students organize the collected information, add illustrations (maps and photos), analyze and evaluate the materials collected, and conclude the report with a discussion of how the area should be developed in the future based on the principles learned in the class.

The activity shows the students the immediate relevance of the material as it is covered, shows the students the types of information publicly available, and helps them develop critical analysis skills. The activity introducers students to basic geologic knowledge and shows them how to make use of it.

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In this 6th grade science class, students consider how they use water in their daily lives and learn that water is a nonrenewable resource in a closed system.

This exercise posits a hypothetical situation: you would like to purchase land that will provide your family with opportunities to fish and swim in a stream on your property. Additionally, you would like the land to afford some privacy. In order to find such a place, you need to locate land for sale that has a stream running through it and you want to confirm that the stream water is clean. The following activity illustrates how one can locate land with particular characteristics and also assess surface water quality for local bodies of water. The data you will use might pertain to any location where streams flow through residential areas.

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This activity is for students to work in teams (2012) or individually (2013) to develop a project (such as a physical or numerical model), survey based research, case study, technical briefs on a remediation technology, etc. of the students' choice, based on their understanding of and interest in the subjects covered in the class. This is used in the GL 199 Hydrogeology course, which is offered through the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at Norwich University. This is an experimental course that has not made it to the course catalogue as yet. It is currently offered to students majoring in Geology, with an acknowledgement that a course in hydrogeology is a desirable component of a Geology curriculum. Environmental Science students are encouraged to take it to deepen their understanding of subsurface processes. This course is considered a science elective for Civil and Environmental Engineering majors, and greatly complements the Hydrology, and Soils and Materials classes that are a part of the regular CE&E curriculum. Students from freshmen through seniors across these three majors are accepted into the course.
With a cross section of majors and academic years in the class, it was determined that a project that has students thinking about a topic of their choice and developing fundamental research and collaboration skills is critical to meeting common workplace demands.

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At the University of Vermont, instructors used land use change, driven by development of the University of Vermont campus and recent student occupancy of surrounding neighborhoods in Burlington, Vermont, as an opportunity for service learning and for teaching fundamental hydrologic and geologic skills. Students from a Geomorphology class, Geohydrology class and student senior research projects all worked on the preoject. In each of these studies, students worked closely with City and University staff and presented results at local forums, professional national meeting, and on the World Wide Web. These service-learning projects have received positive feedback from the students, city officals, and community members.

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The Sierra Club has defined an issue that the Environmental Hydrogeology class will help address in this project: most of the surface waters in Memphis are under fish advisories and yet a portion of the population still subsistence fishes from these waters. Our main product we will produce for Sierra Club is a map of fishing sightings based on survey data we collect during the semester and a proposed sampling strategy to assess potential pollutants based on the knowledge the students gain in field and lab activities. We will also provide information on the percentage of survey participants that are aware of pollution issues in the local waterways and percentage that would be detered from fishing if they saw a sign. At the end of the semester, the students will hold an art contest to design better fish advisory signs, and designs will be made available to Sierra Club and the TN Dept. of Environment and Conservation.

Prior to beginning these activities, the students will have created a base map of Memphis in GIS during a previous lab and used it to consider questions of pollutant runoff from various urban spaces such as golf courses, roads, shopping centers, and City parks. (The instructions for this activity are included in the other materials section below under Creating a Base Map in GIS (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 30kB Feb7 10).) The base map will be used throughout the activities as field data and information from interviews/surveys are collected and added to the map for subsequent consideration of possible environmental justice issues.

The lab activities outlined require the students to conduct grain size analyses using samples that community members provide to them, calculate hydraulic conductivity, measure infiltration rates in the community, estimate impervious surfaces within the community, and subsequently model the transport of water within that community. Results of their work will be conveyed back to the community both through personal contact and via the Wiki page the students produce. Students will base their sampling recommendations by generalizing the concepts learned from these activities (and others during the semester) to apply the course material to the service project. The final map of sighting and recommendations for Sierra Club requires the students to apply concepts from previous activities and will be completed during the lab activity: Mapping survey results.

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This lesson helps students understand why Earth is considered the "water planet." Students analyze how much of Earth's water is available for humans to use for life-sustaining purposes, and they explore the concept of water scarcity in both physical and economic terms. They look at the many ways that humans use water and investigate international trends in agricultural, industrial, and household water consumption. The lesson also sets up the focus of this course: the concept of water footprints. Students explore how water footprints are an invaluable tool for identifying patterns of water use so that individuals, businesses, and even nations can more effectively manage their use of one of the most precious resources on Earth: water. Critical to this exploration is a visit to Watercalculator.org, where students calculate their personal water usage, analyze the results, and set a base point for tracking and conserving their water use.

This is the first of the three-part Lessons for Understanding Our Water Footprint: High School Lesson Plans.

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This lesson helps students understand why Earth is considered the "water planet." Students analyze how much of Earth's water is available for humans to use for life-sustaining purposes, and they explore the concept of water scarcity in both physical and economic terms. They look at the many ways that humans use water and investigate international trends in agricultural, industrial, and household water consumption. The lesson also sets up the focus of this course: the concept of water footprints. Students explore how water footprints are an invaluable tool for identifying patterns of water use so that individuals, businesses, and even nations can more effectively manage their use of one of the most precious resources on Earth: water. Critical to this exploration is a visit to Watercalculator.org, where students calculate their personal water usage, analyze the results, and set a base point for tracking and conserving their water use.

This is the first of the three-part Lessons for Understanding Our Water Footprint: Middle School Lesson Plans.

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This lesson centers on a deeper exploration of the water footprint associated with food. Students learned in Lesson 1 that virtual water, especially as it relates to food, typically makes up the majority of their water footprint. In this lesson, they find out why. First, they see an attention-grabbing demonstration of how much water is needed for three food products. Second, they break into groups to do research, and then they teach their classmates about key aspects of water use related to food and agriculture. Next, they think about how their diet is influenced by social groups, advertising, and structures in place at home and at school that encourage them to potentially eat food with large water footprints. Finally, they brainstorm ways they might be able to influence change in those areas. The lesson concludes with students sharing their ideas and providing one another with constructive feedback.

This is the second of the three-part Lessons for Understanding Our Water Footprint: High School Lesson Plans.

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This lesson centers on a deeper exploration of the water footprint associated with food. Students learned in Lesson 1 that virtual water, especially as it relates to food, typically makes up the majority of their water footprint. In this lesson, they find out why. First, they see an attention-grabbing demonstration of how much water is needed for three food products. Second, they break into groups to do research, and then they teach their classmates about key aspects of water use related to food and agriculture. Next, they think about how their diet is influenced by social groups, advertising, and structures in place at home and at school that encourage them to potentially eat food with large water footprints. Finally, they brainstorm ways they might be able to influence change in those areas. The lesson concludes with students sharing their ideas and providing one another with constructive feedback.

This is the second of the three-part Lessons for Understanding Our Water Footprint: Middle School Lesson Plans.

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Session 1 of this lesson begins with a quick activity to get students thinking about their direct and virtual water use. It introduces a few new ideas for virtual water use that may surprise students, including the virtual water required for the products we buy and use. Then students form marketing teams to explore five categories of water use (indoor, outdoor, diet, electricity, and buying habits) and create infographic posters to share what they learn. Then, in Session 2, students remain in five teams to audit the school's indoor and outdoor direct water use as well as several categories of virtual water use: food, energy, and electronics. They use what they learn to create a strategic conservation action plan that incorporates their How to Save Water awareness campaign in an effort to decrease the school's overall virtual water use. The lesson can be conducted as a short project or a more comprehensive capstone project.

This is the third of the three-part Lessons for Understanding Our Water Footprint: High School Lesson Plans.

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Session 1 of this lesson begins with a quick activity to get students thinking about their direct and virtual water use. It introduces a few new ideas for virtual water use that may surprise students, including the virtual water required for the products we buy and use. Then students form marketing teams to explore five categories of water use (indoor, outdoor, diet, electricity, and buying habits) and create infographic posters to share what they learn. Then, in Session 2, students remain in five teams to audit the school's indoor and outdoor direct water use as well as several categories of virtual water use: food, energy, and electronics. They use what they learn to create a strategic conservation action plan that incorporates their How to Save Water awareness campaign in an effort to decrease the school's overall virtual water use. The lesson can be conducted as a short project or a more comprehensive capstone project.

This is the third of the three-part Lessons for Understanding Our Water Footprint: Middle School Lesson Plans.

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This five-week project asks students to examine the environmental outcomes of their lifestyle choices, to investigate and try out more sustainable choices, and to write about their experiences.

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I use the Lifestyle Project in my Introduction to Environmental Issues class. This 3-week project asks students to make changes to their everyday environmental habits. This helps students realize that they have control of their lives and they can make decisions and make changes if they want to. And, given this empowerment, students can think about their impacts on Earth and their obligations to the planet and our society.

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This three-week project begins with a measurement of "baseline" consumptive behavior followed by two weeks of working to reduce the use of water, energy, high-impact foods, and other materials. The assignment uses an Excel spreadsheet that calculates direct energy and water use as well as indirect CO2 and water use associated with food consumption.

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Background:
In my experience, I have discovered many common roadblocks to non-traditional and under-represented student participation in hydrogeology:
Time constraints -- many students have complicated schedules and demands on their time that a traditional undergraduate does not have. For example, many of these students are working full time, and required experiences outside of the classroom often pose scheduling conflicts for students.

Communication skills -- many under-represented students arrive in the classroom with communication skills that are not fully developed. Students are often learning English as they are learning the complex vocabulary of hydrogeology.

Math skills -- many students are under prepared in math and/or have math phobias

Funding -- many students are unable to pay laboratory and field trip fees.

I currently teach at minority serving institution. Here, I find that hands-on practice is the most successful learning experience for students. Students grasp concepts such as discharge, flux, and residence time more effectively when they are active participants in the learning process. The most effective method I have found for addressing these issues and encouraging under represented student participation in hydrogeology is to create student-designed group research projects. I used this strategy three quarters in a row, and the same students (as well as new students they recruit) continue to sign up for these courses. This trend, in addition to students' growing confidence in engaging in the scientific method, is my primary evidence for success.

Resources are very limited at my institution, so here are a couple of suggestions that work well.
Borrow equipment -- from other universities, from consulting companies, from colleagues.

Simplify analyses -- many interesting conclusions can be drawn from simply pH, conductivity, and temperature data. But, there are also relatively inexpensive test kits on the market that are sufficient for class purposes (ex. LaMotte urban water test kit ~$30).

Description
Everyone will have different class sizes, student preparation levels, and goals when attempting an exercise like this, so I will provide general information, which others can modify to meet their needs. Below I briefly outline the steps I take the students through during the project and highlight ideas for improving success for the targeted groups.

Form groups -- depending on class size, 2-4 students per group (I try to ensure the groups are balanced based on skills and student interests)
Choose topic -- I usually provide a list of possible topics and have students adapt a topic from the list that interests them. Students require a lot of guidance at this stage to assure selection of a manageable topic for a quarter-long project. This is the most important step - guiding students into a topic they are passionate about and where they can be successful is key. Students usually have no shortage of questions they want to answer about water in an urban environment! Since most of the students have spent their whole lives in an urban situation, they are deeply passionate about these issues.
Research literature -- students perform a background search for previous work on their topic to help guide them. I provide a laboratory session on how to search the library and databases for related information, as well as provide a list of recommended journals and websites. In addition, students locate supporting data (discharge, well levels, precipitation)
Plan study -- we discuss study design, sample types, sampling location, frequency. During this phase, students use maps, study weather patterns, and determine site accessibility.
Collect data -- we set aside lab periods for collecting data together. These are the sessions where you should be prepared to answer all sort of questions. Once the students begin implementing their study, many new questions come up.
Analyze and interpret results -- multiple lab periods are used to analyze data; student data are the basis of the remainder of labs. Techniques discussed are applied to their group projects.
Present findings -- students assemble posters and present results to their classmates.

Urban topics
Below is a short list of topics to stimulate ideas. Equipment required includes pH meter, conductivity meter, flow meter, Lamotte test kits.
Sources of N and P to the Los Angeles River
Contribution of golf courses to urban runoff
Extent of tidal influence on Ballona Creek
Metal fluxes from storm drains to the ocean
Relationship of land use to water quality
Relationship of population demographics to water quality

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Students in groups of two create a 4-minute educational video, brochure, and poster on an aspect of soil erosion, soil conservation, and/or watershed health for agricultural regions within the midwestern states. This is a half term project and the materials are presented in a forum towards the end of the semester. The project is aimed to help students learn to pitch science to a wide audience and provide practice (indirectly) applying scientific principles to conservation efforts.

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