Water on the Web: Monitoring Minnesota's Lakes on the Internet

Increased pressure on natural resources worldwide and shrinking budgets are causing environmental management organizations to rely increasingly on advanced technology. There is a clear need for the training of highly-skilled, multi-disciplinary environmental professionals, able to utilize advanced technology to achieve environmental management goals. The purpose of Water on the Web is to contribute to a more scientifically and technologically competent work force through a comprehensive educational program for high school and community college students and teachers. This goal will be achieved by developing curriculum modules that teach basic science concepts illustrated through the use of real-time remote sensing technology, Geographic Information Systems, and the Internet. Multi-disciplinary teams of academic, science, and technology specialists (including representatives from universities, community and tribal colleges, secondary schools, natural resource and research agencies, and industry) will cooperatively develop this curriculum. Through this project students will conduct interactive inquiries of widespread environmental systems using newly-developed, real-time, remote sampling technology linked with classrooms through cellular communication and Internet networks and participate in industry-sponsored internships. Final curricula will be disseminated through printed materials, and an interactive CD-ROM distributed through the National Sea Grant network, materials in electronic format available through an Internet node, in-service training workshops, presentations at professional conferences, and, finally, a national conference on the use of real time data and emerging technologies in undergraduate science education.