Abstract
spectrUM Discovery Area at the University of Montana, the Watershed Education Network, and many additional local partners are currently collaborating to implement a new field-based groundwater education program in western Montana. This presentation will provide an introduction to the Montana Groundwater Academy (MGA), which is a 2-year EPA-funded program that will engage high school students in place-based, data-driven science investigations. Students will develop knowledge of western MT hydrologic systems and the ability to undertake water research investigations. About 750 students will participate in a 3-day learning unit that will include a 1/2-day field trip to a groundwater education field site where students will collect firsthand data they will use in water science investigations. The field site will comprise a network of monitoring wells and surface water features accessible to learners for data collection (e.g., water elevation, etc.). The project will also make use of archived data to support learning about hydrologic and climate systems from data and evidence. Learning unit activities include: Day 1: In a classroom-based inquiry activity, students will use physical groundwater models to investigate the structure of groundwater systems and how water moves through the ground. Day 2: In a field-based activity, students will use firsthand data to investigate how water flows through landscapes, and implications for managing water resources to maintain quality and quantity. Day 3: In a classroom-based inquiry activity, students will work with longitudinal water and climate data from western MT to study relationships among variables (e.g., precipitation, groundwater elevation, etc.) and societal implications for maintaining water resources for current and future use.
Start Date
24-4-2015 9:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 10:00 AM
Document Type
Presentation
Montana Groundwater Academy
spectrUM Discovery Area at the University of Montana, the Watershed Education Network, and many additional local partners are currently collaborating to implement a new field-based groundwater education program in western Montana. This presentation will provide an introduction to the Montana Groundwater Academy (MGA), which is a 2-year EPA-funded program that will engage high school students in place-based, data-driven science investigations. Students will develop knowledge of western MT hydrologic systems and the ability to undertake water research investigations. About 750 students will participate in a 3-day learning unit that will include a 1/2-day field trip to a groundwater education field site where students will collect firsthand data they will use in water science investigations. The field site will comprise a network of monitoring wells and surface water features accessible to learners for data collection (e.g., water elevation, etc.). The project will also make use of archived data to support learning about hydrologic and climate systems from data and evidence. Learning unit activities include: Day 1: In a classroom-based inquiry activity, students will use physical groundwater models to investigate the structure of groundwater systems and how water moves through the ground. Day 2: In a field-based activity, students will use firsthand data to investigate how water flows through landscapes, and implications for managing water resources to maintain quality and quantity. Day 3: In a classroom-based inquiry activity, students will work with longitudinal water and climate data from western MT to study relationships among variables (e.g., precipitation, groundwater elevation, etc.) and societal implications for maintaining water resources for current and future use.