Students will describe the effects of present water practices on future groundwater quality, in terms of time frame and water movement. It begins with a groundwater problem situation which students analyze by plotting data on a map and using visualization techniques of NIH Image. They research information about the situation using the Internet. The students develop models of groundwater flow in Stella and Excel. These techniques are utilized to further analyze the original problem.
Student groups choose projects that utilize the modeling techniques.
Students are presented with a problem of arsenic poisoning that is probably linked to well water. The students plot data from existing wells on a community map. The data implicates a factory, but further information clears the factory. Additional wells are drilled to provide more complete coverage of the area. The students plot the additional well data, which points to an cemetery area.