Binghamton University geology students observe a well-drilling operation on campus. A well field is being installed near Fuller Hollow Creek as part of a National Science Foundation funded project to enhance opportunities for student field work and research.
It's not every day you see a full-sized drill-rig located on campus. But for students of Karen Salvage and Joseph Graney, assistant professors of Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies the drill rig is just phase one of a project to establish a readily accessible field station for gathering hydrologic and environmental data.
"The immediate goal of this project is the addition of a field laboratory component to several undergraduate geology and environmental studies courses," Graney said. "The long-term goal is not only to enhance students' lecutre-based learning with field experiences, but ultimately to enable them to develop and conduct meaningful 'capstone' scientific projects at the undergraduate level.
Graney said the instrumentation at the field station will allow students to monitor and explore differences in physical and chemical processes between and within the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere on real-time scales.
Funding for the project came from the National Science Foundation, which awarded the Department of Geology and Environmental Studies a grant to purchase and install the hydrologic and environmental monitoring equipment. Salvage and Graney, who are co-directing the project, are specialists in the field of contaminant transport in groundwater and environmental geochemistry, respectively.
"It is our goal that this readily accessible field station will allow for more active learning exercises to be integrated into courses," said Salvage. "Having this field equipment on campus will support undergraduate and graduate student research into all aspects of the local environment while also opening the door for interdisciplinary research. Student research projects will begin as equipment comes on line."
The complete project will include the well field for monitoring groundwater levels and quality, a station on Fuller Hollow Creek for monitoring stream flow and sampling surface water quality, and a meteorological and atmospheric monitoring station capable of sampling air and rainwater for chemical analysis. Installation of monitoring equipment will continue over the next year.