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Academic Activities
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Geoscience education
Carbonate islands, karst and Florida Geology Geoscience education Computational Geology column in the Journal of Geoscience Education The Computational Geology
column aims to present a mathematical subject in the context of a geological
problem. My intent in this column is to provide a resource for geoscience
faculty who may want their students to read up on some mathematical topic
that relates to their class. Please see "Publications" for the
list of columns that have appeared so far. Please see www.nagt.org
for more about the Journal of Geoscience Education. Spreadsheet exercises in geological-mathematical problem solving NSF Grant DUE-0126500 (5/15/02-4/30/03,
extended to 4/30/04). The purpose of this CCLI Proof of Concept grant
was to develop spreadsheet modules to enhance teaching mathematics in
geological context. The higher goal of the project was (is) to promote
teaching mathematics across the curriculum. Based on formative feedback
from participants in workshops addressing mathematics education (specifically
quantitative literacy) across the curriculum, I directed the module development
toward geological issues that would resonate outside the geoscience curriculum
-- for example, topics that would be of interest in a general history
of science course. The main product of this project is a set of modules
posted http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/modules/start.htm
on a Quantitative Literacy website hosted by the Washington Center for
Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education at The Evergreen State
College, in Olympia WA. I continue to make spreadsheet modules for my
own courses, and I promote the concept every chance I get. Thus I would
be interested in talking with anyone who is interested in developing a
CCLI Adaptation and Implementation proposal to follow up on this Proof
of Concept grant. Quantitative literacy and the National Numeracy Network Quantitative literacy (QL)
is the habit of mind with which people engage mathematics in everyday
context. It is the opposite of math phobia, math anxiety, and math avoidance.
Not only is QL an educational issue; it is a workplace issue; alas, it
is a citizenship issue. The National Numeracy Network (NNN) is a new professional
society that is being formed as a nonprofit corporation after initial
funding of four NNN centers through the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship
Foundation. We plan on meetings, workshops, and an electronic newsletter
to exchange and disseminate ideas; the word Network, in the title of the
organization, is chosen to communicate our mission. The NNN center at
Dartmouth will be launching the NNN Website soon. NNN will be seeking
individual, institutional and corporate members. The year 2005 will be
the year for charter memberships. Judy Harden is completing
an MS thesis on the geochemistry of volcanic rocks in Moorea, Fr Poynesia.
Jeff Ryan and I are co-supervisors. The first part of the thesis, which
fits in with Dr. Ryan's research interests, involves the geochemistry
data and their insights on the magmatic processes generating those rocks.
The second part of the thesis, which fits with my interests, is the creation
of educational modules relating the mathematical and geological concepts
involved in interpreting her data. Dr. Ryan and I anticipate developing a geoscience education track for graduate students when he returns from his current position at NSF DUE. We invite applications from prospective students interested in this program. My role in this joint effort will be to promote research and development of educational materials at the intersection of mathematics education and geoscience education. How do geoscience students learn and use mathematics? Carbonate islands, karst and Florida Geology My long-time interest in carbonate
islands began in 1967, when Fred Mackenzie (Northwestern Univ) invited
me to do a PhD dissertation on the Pleistocene stratigraphy of Bermuda.
Although I had no interest before that in carbonate rocks (and even less
in groundwater), I did have a great interest in stratigraphy fueled first
by undergraduate courses with Harry Wheeler (U Washington) and then by
graduate courses with Larry Sloss (Northwestern). So, I went to Bermuda,
and finally (1971) completed my dissertation relating the geometric mosaic
of the carbonate eolianites there to the history of Pleistocene sea level
highstands. A crucial part of that study was a geologic map of a part
of Bermuda. I finally completed the map of Bermuda (with another new stratigraphy)
in 1989, with Mark Rowe and Peter Garrett. While at the Bermuda Biological
Station completing my dissertation, I met Ernie Owen of the Bermuda Government
who invited me to get involved in the fresh groundwater that he was pretty
sure was a good potential resource. After a post-doctorate at SUNY Binghamton
with Jim Sorauf and Paul Enos - who allowed me to investigate anything
I wanted (those were the days), and I chose island groundwater - I worked
for the Bermuda Government for two years as a "groundwater explorationist."
Thus began an association that lasted for over a dozen years, and a small-island
trajectory that lasted until about 1997 (Geology and Hydrogeology of Carbonate
Islands, see publications). Since 1997, my main research interests are on-going collaborations - mainly with John Mylroie (Mississippi State) on island karst; David Budd (U Colorado) on the permeability structure of the Floridan aquifer; Ward Sanford (USGS) on variable-density flow problems that my graduate students pursue; and Bob Brinkmann (USF-Geography) on sinkhole distribution. Much of this work comes under the heading of karst. My interest in karst comes mainly from three sources: distant memories of WV caves from high school in DC; a long association with the irrepressible Mylroie; and a remarkable group of graduate students who are interested in the subject. Joe Hughes (MS, Michigan)
is finishing his PhD dissertation on the large-scale circulation of groundwater
in the Florida Platform. Joe is working mainly with Ward Sanford of the
USGS in Reston. In the first part of his study, Joe revised SUTRA to handle
three-dimensional, multiple-species problems; the Open File Report for
this new version of SUTRA is in press. In the second part of the study,
Joe benchmarked the three-dimensional, multi-species SUTRA against Hele-Shaw
models; the paper on this part of his study is in press with Water Resources
Research. In the final part of the dissertation, which is currently underway,
Joe is applying the three-dimensional multi-species SUTRA to investigate
the thermally-driven, variable-salinity flow in the half-submerged Florida
Platform. Lee Florea (MS, Missouri)
is a third-year PhD student with an extensive pre-USF background in telogenetic
karst. Lee came to USF to study the eogenetic karst of Florida (i.e.,
karsted limestones that retain extensive primary porosity). Lee's dissertation,
which is well under way now, explores (1) relationships between conduit
development and the architecture of matrix and fracture permeability in
the Floridan aquifer and (2) contrasts in discharge hydrographs of springs
in eogenetic vs. telogenetic karst. Lee will present some results of a
study of the second topic at the 2004 GSA meeting in November. Beth Fratesi (MS, Mississippi
State) is a second-year PhD student who came to USF to study island and
coastal karst. Her dissertation will focus on the intersection of karst,
freshwater-saltwater transition zones, and tides. Her first study, which
is on the program for the 2004 GSA meeting in Denver, is a SUTRA investigation
of the asymmetry of the mixing zone caused by interference of the seawater
circulation with an impermeable basement beneath the "interface."
For her second study, Beth is posted this semester (Fall 2004) at the
USGS in Reston with Ward Sanford to work on a three-dimensional subsurface-discharge
extension of the mixing-zone problem. Her third and fourth studies are
in the planning stage. Don Seale (BS, Mississippi
State) is a second-year MS student completing a thesis evaluating the
use of ASLM in defining closed-contour depressions (likely geomorphic
sinkholes) in Pinellas County. Don is presenting the results of this study
at a theme session on using remote sensing to assess geological hazards
at the 2004 GSA meeting in Denver. Don's study is part of a larger project
in which Pinellas County has funded Bob Brinkmann and me to investigate
the geographic distribution of geomorphic sinkholes in the county. Another
part of the Pinellas County project is an MS thesis just completed by
Kelly Wilson in the Environmental Science and Policy Department. Kelly
used 1926 and 1985 air photographs to investigate the effect of urbanization
on geomorphic sinkholes. Limaris Soto (BS, Univ
Puerto Rico - Mayaguez) is in her first year in the Geology Masters program.
Limaris is doing a thesis on the Holocene paleoclimate of Florida recorded
in stalagmites from caves in Lee Florea's dissertation area. Phil van
Beynen of the Environmental Science and Policy Department is supervising
her thesis. I am recruiting PhD students
interested in working with Bob Brinkmann and me on our continuing studies
of sinkhole geography or to work with Jeff Ryan and me on research combining
geoscience education and karst. I also look forward to working with graduate
students doing theses or dissertations with other faculty in our Karst
Research Group. |
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