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Bringing Geophysics to �Introductory Science Courses�Using IGUaNA and GETSI Modules

in Your Classroom

Andy Parsekian, Sarah Kruse, John McDaris,

Klaudio Peshtani, Danielle Sumy, Beth Pratt-Sitaula

Univ of Wyoming, Univ of South Florida, Carleton College, Rutgers Univ-Newark, EarthScope

Offsite: Lee Slater

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EarthScope Consortium

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Workshop Goals

Participants will leave the workshop with:

An understanding of the topics covered in each of the 4 IGUaNA modules and GPS from GETSI

geophysical themes and the societal relevance

An understanding of the module learning goals, assignments and assessments
Gain experience collecting geophysical data and how to teach that collection to others
An understanding of where and how IGUaNA and GETSI materials would fit into the courses you teach
A network of colleagues interested in teaching about geophysics through real-world urban and environmental applications

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What is ?

Goal: Attract a diverse population of students to geophysics

limited exposure and connection to geophysics
Engage intro level students with locally relevant problems
Demonstrate importance
Make geophysical concepts accessible at the intro level
Make it easy for non-geophysicist instructors to use

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What is ?

Approach:

Develop teaching materials that apply geophysical tools and methods to societally-relevant problems at the intro undergrad level

Consider urban environmental, engineering, and forensic questions that can be addressed through geophysics; emphasis on authentic data and connections to communities

Approximately 6-8 weeks of content in total

3-5 "units" per module and each takes about 1-3 weeks of class time, or select a subset of units

Engage students with locally relevant problems; Demonstrate importance; Make geophysical concepts accessible at the intro level; Make it easy for non-geophysicist instructors to use

Approach: Use module development approach refined by InTeGrate, and also used by GETSI – geodetic modules developed with UNAVCO/EarthScope leadership.

Peer-reviewed, pilot tested, then revised.

As you see, will be available on the SERC website

The goal of the IGUaNA project is to attract a diverse population of students to geophysics through the development of teaching materials that highlight the application of geophysical tools and methods to societally-relevant problems. Each of the introductory modules focuses on the applications of a single geophysical method to questions or problems that affect local communities. Each of the course modules is being peer-reviewed,and tested in undergraduate classrooms, before being made public free of charge. We are in the testing phase now. WE highlight urban environmental, engineering, and forensic questions that can be answered, at least in part, through geophysics using authentic data and connections to communities.

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Four Modules

Module content will be described by Sarah, Klaudio, and Andy, and then you will get a chance to explore the module on gravity and magnetics.
The geophysical method content focuses on seismic refraction, ground penetrating radar, and electrical resistivity tomography. Each module provides some physical background, some information on the measurements, and at least one in-depth application exercise with real data.
The materials are all hosted on the SERC website at Carleton College with the intention that they are accessible to instructors there. Instructors can download the content for their own courses – they are not set up intrinsically as an online course.
On each of the module pages, learning objectives are laid out, teaching materials are explained, and links to tips and suggestions are provided.

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An adaptable, modular IGUaNA roadmap

Pick and choose individual units, exercises, or presentations to integrate freely into your course

One of the key strengths is the adaptability of these course materials, again following on from InTeGrate and GETSI, where most common use is partial modules. We hope you can get some sense today of how you might use the materials in your courses.
We provide some roadmaps for how an instructor might use these materials, but of course there are lots of other possibilities. On one extreme, you could plausibly develop a half semester course using only the IGUANA course materials. Alternatively, we recognize most of the time these materials may be integrated into an existing class – for this case, one option would be to fit a full module in amongst the rest of the course content. Alternatively, an instructor may pick and choose individual activities that are relevant to their existing course content and use a PPT here, and assessment there, or a lab exercise as appropriate.

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Examples where modules might fit

Introduction to Geology

address concepts of geophysical properties and measurements

integrate quantitative mathematical exercises

provide relevance of geology to urban environments

Introduction to Environmental Science

ecology/environment topics

relevance to human/environment interaction

helps ‘environmentally minded’ students see connection to geophysics

Introduction to Chemistry

Explore how the chemistry of an estuary affects the measured resistivity

Part of a module piloted at an HBCU – Fort Valley State Univ.

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Workshop outline

Today - 8/8

Explore modules

Content, how material presented
What would you need to use the module in your class

GPS focus
Learn to collect field data - GPS, GPR, ERT, seismic, mag, grav

Tomorrow - 8/9

Data Processing & Field

Thursday - 8/10

Data analysis and interpretation, and/or further module exploration

How to implement one or modules in your classes

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Pipes, Tree Roots or Unmarked Graves? Using Ground Penetrating Radar for Forensic Geophysics�

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GPR: Sarah Kruse, Tonian Robinson, Christine Downs

Univ. of South Florida, Sandia National Lab

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GPR Unit 1 – highlights: �start with existing knowledge�

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GPR Unit 1: uses of GPR�

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GPR Unit 1: GPR gives a distorted image of the subsurface

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GPR Unit 2: Diffractions

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GPR Unit 2: use app to determine depths to buried targets with real-world data�

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GPR Unit 2: What produces reflections or diffractions?

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GPR Unit 3: limitations of the method: where but not what

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GPR Unit 3: limitations of the method: attenuation

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GPR Unit 3: limitations of the method: attenuation

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GPR Unit 3: case study with suggestions for supporting students

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This workshop’s handout: – how to collect and process your own data with instruments available from IRIS-PASSCAL

Coming: suggestions for data acquisition on your campus

�

Photos courtesy of A. Kar

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Electrical Resistivity

Andy Parsekian

developed by Lee Slater

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Evaluating the Health of an Urban Wetland Using Electrical Resistivity�

Use of real data

Connects students to world around them

Flexibility

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Unit 1

Exploring harrier meadow

GIS Storymap

Narrated flyover video

Google Earth activities
Introduction to wetlands restoration/habitats

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Unit 2

Electrical geophysics basics

Electrical current flow in soils

1E landfill

Keegan landfill

gas pipeline

soil (or rock) filled with ionic fluid

Soil resistivity:

Applications of electromagnetics to urban wetlands

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Unit 3

Electrical geophysical data acquisition

Excel-based exercises on electrical geophysics basics

Simulating electrical resistivity datasets with the USGS tool SEER (Excel)

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Unit 4

Guided inversion of electrical resistivity datasets

Tutorial on inversion basics

Guided use of open-source resistivity inversion software ResIPy

ρ_a (Ωm)

n=1

n=5

n=10

log₁₀ (resistivity in Ωm)

Forward

modeling

Inverse

modeling

Pseudo section

Resistivity distribution

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Unit 5

Exploring a hypothesis for vegetation patterns using electrical geophysics data

Use of the resistivity and EM datasets to investigate vegetation patterns

Returning to the GIS Storymap

Interpreting the resistivity inversion from Unit 4

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Abbreviated activity recommendation: Unit 1 (wetland and issues introduction), skip to Unit 5

Use of the resistivity and EM datasets to investigate vegetation patterns

Returning to the GIS Storymap

Interpreting the resistivity inversion from Unit 4

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Seismic Refraction

Andy Parsekian

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Motivation

Straightforward physics that can be explored with pencil and paper (or excel)

Engagement through direct relation to everyday infrastructure projects

Seismic refraction as a springboard to geophysics

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Audience

Urban, rural, or wildland environment – it’s a fit!

The field component is fun for all skill levels

Students: Environmentalists, rock hounds, engineers, math/physics

Classes: Intro Environment/Geology, Civil Eng, Physical Geography,

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The built environment: � a Geoscience-Engineering Nexus

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Module Highlights

Diagrammed

Equations

Simulations

Case Study

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What does real data look like?

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Magnetics & Gravity

Kruse, Slater, Parsekian, Peshtani

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Motivation

By Popular Demand!

Most requested topic by instructors
‘Commonly’ taught, so more instructors are anticipated to be familiar with these topics
Instrumentation may be readily available

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Module Contents

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Unit 1: Locating Buried Objects Using Gravity

This unit is designed at a very basic level for introductory college classes in which students may not have thought about detecting buried objects. The tools and activities are designed to:

provide motivation for the gravity method
get students to "read" an equation by describing the meaning of the variables with sketches, words, and plugging in numerical values
check their understanding of the equation against simulations of gravity profiles

Part 1: What Kinds of Buried Features can you Detect by Measuring Gravity?

Part 2: "Reading" and Visualizing Newton's Equation for Gravity

Part 3: How do the Mass and Depth of a Buried Object Affect Gravity Readings Over the Object?

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Unit 2: Environmental Magnetism

This module introduces students to the underlying principles of magnetism and its application in environmental investigations.

environmental issues where magnetic geophysical surveys can help;
types of magnetism;
magnetic fields generated by magnetic objects ; and
the Earth's magnetic field.

Task 1: Environmental Concerns & Magnetism

Task 2: How magnetism can be used to solve urban and environmental problems

Task 3: Creating a 2D magnetic survey plot using real magnetic survey data

Task 4: How you can run a magnetics survey with your cell phone!

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Unit 3: Field Data Case-Study Exercises

Part 1 : Avoid Voids - Mapping gravity in karst terrain for hazard assessment

Part 2: A magnetic attraction to iron - detecting 'lost' infrastructure

Part 3: Measure your own gravity data - the stairwell experiment

This activity focuses on practical application of concepts discussed in Units 1 & 2 through the analysis of measured or provided field datasets. Students will follow experimental procedures to measure gravity changes inside a building and/or analyze magnetic prospecting data.

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GPS/GNSS

Beth Pratt-Sitaula

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GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues

Develop and disseminate teaching and learning materials that feature geodesy data & quantitative skills applied to critical societal issues such as climate change, water resources, and natural hazards

�FIELD COLLECTION – integrate geodetic methods into geoscience field learning

Geodesy is … the science of accurately measuring the Earth’s size, shape, orientation, mass distribution and the variations of these with time.

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GETSI Field - 2 modules + resources

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Module Goals

Design and conduct static and/or kinematic GPS/GNSS surveys to address a geologic research question.
Apply the findings of GPS/GNSS surveys to issues important to society
Justify why different high-precision positioning techniques are appropriate in different situations.

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Where do you find GPS/GNSS?

GPS receivers are in phones, cars, research instruments etc.

—basically anything that tells you where you are

Whether they know it or not, students use GPS receivers daily in their cars, phones, cameras, and handheld recreational GPS. Most have heard the term “GPS,” but few know much about how the system actually works or high-precision GPS for science and industrial use.

Note: Although the term GPS (Global Positioning System) is more commonly used in everyday language, it officially refers only to the USA's constellation of satellites. GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is a universal term that refers to all satellite navigation systems including those from the USA (GPS), Russia (GLONASS), European Union (Galileo), China (BeiDou), and others. In this module, we use the term GPS even though, technically, some of the data may be coming from satellites in other systems.

Images from UNAVCO

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Pilot testing of modules

Choose a module, then move to one of the tables for that module

At your table

Introduce yourself to the people at your table

What do you teach? What course might a module fit into?

45 minutes: Explore the module on your own

15-20 minutes: Share what you find most compelling about the module you explored, and any outstanding questions you have about it

15 minutes: Discuss what you would need to do to fit these materials into one of your courses

Whole group

Share key discussion points with whole group discussion