The objective of this project is to develop applications of modern positioning and mapping technology to environmental investigations. Approximately 120 undergraduates per year will be impacted, including multidisciplinary majors in new environmental sciences programs as well as geology majors. Because many students declaring these new majors express interest in ecology or hydrology, field laboratory exercises are developed around these themes. Two new instrument systems are requested. The Electronic Total Station system will allow undergraduates to make maps of an appropriate scale and detail needed for many environmental projects and to make non-intrusive measurements that locate remote positions. Global Positioning System (GPS) techniques and applications will also be taught, first through laboratory exercises in which GPS is the focus and later through routine use of GPS in support of other field laboratory projects. These laboratory exercises also introduce students to information available over the Internet, demonstrate to students the use of computers to process and display data, expose the students to field projects that might inspire senior thesis ideas, and require students to apply their mathematical training as they use geometry and trigonometry to answer questions of an ecological nature. Undergraduates will use these instruments as appropriate in support of senior research projects required as the capstone for the bachelor's degree in environmental sciences. Laboratory manuals developed for use of these instruments will be available through the WWW and results of this and of students' projects will be reported at regional meetings of professional societies.
