The prototype Plume Busters software is an innovative, "hands-on" tool in which students take on the role of an environmental consultant and apply ground-water principles to solve a simulated contamination problem. The goal of this project is to expand the capabilities and increase the educational value of the prototype software that was developed with funding from a previous NSF Geoscience Education program project. The current project is developing new interactive tools for self-assessment and additional contamination scenarios that shall offer students the option of employing several different remediation technologies to solve simulated environmental problems. Students working with the prototype software are progressively challenged to apply previously learned and new concepts to solve problems of increasing complexity. Ground-water scientists and educators from the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), the University of Kansas Department of Geology, and the Fort Scott Community College Department of Environmental Technologies form the project team. Specifically, the project is: (1) working with stakeholders to design the next generation software prototype and the process used to evaluate it, (2) field-testing the prototype to evaluate student learning with undergraduates from local community and four-year colleges, and (3) formulating a plan to carry the prototype forward to full development. The prototype software will be platform independent and broadly available to anyone on CD-ROM from the KGS or over the Internet from the KGS website.
With respect to intellectual merit, Plume Busters enables students to actively engage in scientific inquiry and problem solving in the context of realistic contamination scenarios. The project is also providing two undergraduate computer science students with practical training in software development. With respect to broader impact, the project is creating high quality, research-based educational materials that stress integrating geoscience, engineering, and mathematics concepts in undergraduate education.
