Geology (42) Experiential learning opportunities are being integrated into the hydrology curriculum at Northern Iowa University. Undergraduate students in water science courses are conducting field projects within several tributaries and main channel sites of the Cedar River watershed in northeast Iowa. Additionally, they are using the on-campus monitoring well site as an outdoor laboratory to learn scientific concepts in hydrology. The students are collecting stream water, groundwater, and sediment samples, and analyzing them to understand the temporal variability in prevalent chemical, biological, and hydrological characteristics. Working in teams, the students are learning how the polluted areas are linked to their source components. Nutrients in agricultural runoff are unintended exports from the state of Iowa, having adverse environmental consequences as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. Nutrients from eastern Iowa watersheds contribute to the formation of a hypoxia zone commonly referred to as the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. This project is providing an opportunity for undergraduate students to study the local as well as the regional hydrologic environment and related water quality issues. The students are learning to develop sampling protocols, to use environmental field equipment, and to conduct on-site and laboratory analyses. The long-term goal of this project is to develop scientific literacy among undergraduate students by facilitating a variety of sensory experiences. An important aspect of this project involves the integration of life sciences into the geo-hydrology curriculum. While working on their assignments, or solving problems, the students are learning from one another in an interdisciplinary setting. The broader impact of this project includes providing students the opportunity to conduct field and laboratory research to learn about the applied nature of interdisciplinary scientific research and to investigate a significant environmental problem. The problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico is currently a prioritized national issue that will require policy changes and the development of a management model that likely will involve broad citizen participation.
