Undergraduate Computational Science: Geoscience Education

As computing power and tools become increasingly powerful, there is a growing need to develop educational tools that lie at the intersection of mathematics, computer science and physical science. Computational Science, as a formal field, is an emerging area of research that seeks to integrate computing, mathematical modeling and visualization to solve problems in physical, natural, behavioral, and social sciences.

After being asked to organize a Project Kaleidascope Summer Institute session in 2001 which was dedicated to exploring pedagogical approaches to Computational Science instruction, I joined a multi-institutional interdisciplinary effort, funded by the Keck Foundation and NSF's CCLI program, to develop educational modules suitable for use in an undergraduate setting. The resulting Keck Undergraduate Computational Science Education Consortium has produced a wide array of modules to date, all of which use computational capabilities to explore interesting problems that would otherwise be intractable (or much more shallowly accessible) for students.

My focus to date has been the development of three modules suitable for different undergraduate settings. The first, Thermal Conduction 1, uses analytical mathematics (including FFTs) to introduce students to the use of heat transfer equations as a tool for exploring interesting geological problems (e.g., thickening of oceanic lithosphere, cooling of a dike). The second, Thermal Conduction 2 (co-authored with Mr. Sylvan Long), continues this exploration by illustrating how numerical techniques can be used to gain insight into more complicated problems that are difficult to investigate analytically (e.g., thermal signature of a lava tube). The third module, Reservoir Failure, uses both analytical and numerical techniques to investigate tensile rupture of an inflating ellipsoidal reservoir. Each module is designed to be tackled as a unit though parts can certainly be extracted for use independently, and they range in accessibility from introductory through advanced courses depending upon how they are employed.

Interested instructors are welcome to contact me for copies of the student portions of the modules and the solution sets in their current form. I would also encourage interested parties to visit the web pages hosted by Capital University, they are well worth a look! All questions, comments and/or suggestions for improvement should be addressed to me - and are welcome!

Cheers!

Eric B. Grosfils

Useful Links:
Contact Dr. Grosfils
Keck Undergraduate Computational Science Education Consortium