22 We have National Parks Too! Earth and Environmental Science Research and Teaching in National Lands of the Midcontinent and the Eastern United States

Friday, 25 April 2008
8:15 AM - 12:00 PM

USING THE WABASH RIVER HERITAGE CORRIDOR AT NEW HARMONY, INDIANA AS A LABORATORY: AN EXERCISE IN DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION, AND APPLICATION

Paper number: 22-9
Program: THEME SESSIONS
Time: 10:40 AM – 11:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

A point bar within the Wabash River Heritage Corridor near New Harmony, Indiana provides the perfect field setting to link information discussed in lectures, data collection and analysis, and interpretation of data in a way that reinforces standard methods and Earth science application. Students in a sophomore level majors' course learn about fluvial landforms and behavior in lectures, and are brought to a large point bar across from historic New Harmony, Indiana to complete a lab exercise. Against the backdrop where early North American geologists learned their discipline, and within an important regional natural resource, our students learn how to make observations, map, design sample collection strategies, and collect data. Upon returning to the classroom, students analyze sediments for particle size distribution and then interpret the data using simple statistics. Students also construct one perpendicular and one longitudinal topographic profile from surveying data they collect. Students link particle size data to locations along the profiles, and draw conclusions about the observed relationships. In addition, by comparing results of the profiles from one year to the next, and looking at discharge records from the USGS New Harmony gauging station, students can see the effects of annual stream flooding on the point bar's morphology over the past few years.

The organizational, observational, analytical and interpretive skills students learn are used in several upper level courses that have research projects as part of the curriculum. Given the students' participation in the intro course, instructors in upper level courses are able to focus on more advanced methods and equipment rather than basic skills. Moreover, students are aware of the applicability of their work as it relates to natural resources management and flooding hazards.