EASC9700 NCGRT Australian Groundwater School

2016

4.5

1 x 40-hour intensive workshop per semester
1 x 40-hour on-line tutorial per semester

1 of EASC8700, WARM8700 has been successfully completed

Assumes first-year University Earth Sciences and an undergraduate degree in environmental science, hydrology or a relevant discipline of science and engineering.

Distance students will need a good quality internet connection and computer access, and may require a computer with a camera and/or microphone headset for FLO Live or SKYPE interaction with the topic coordinator.

The NCGRT Short Course program is Australia's leading professional training agency for groundwater hydrology. NCGRT runs the Australian Groundwater School twice yearly. The School was first established in 1965 and has become Australia's leading short course for training groundwater professionals. It introduces students to a wide range of well balanced practical and theoretical concepts pertinent in the science, management and technology related to groundwater hydrology. Subjects covered include: hydrogeology, hydraulics, environmental isotopes in groundwater, recharge / discharge determination, dryland salinity and waterlogging, groundwater conceptual modelling, drilling methods, piezometer and bore design, an array of monitoring and sampling methods, groundwater microbiology, groundwater geophysics, groundwater pollution, groundwater and soil remediation, surface water groundwater interaction, ecosystem dependence on groundwater, groundwater management issues including resource allocation, quality protection and sustainability. This breadth of themes covered and the professional nature of this short course provide a comprehensive coverage of pressing issues in groundwater hydrology.

This topic aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to groundwater hydrology. It provides a breadth-first learning approach that covers a wide range of issues and is intended to present a "big picture" overview of groundwater hydrology and associated scientific, management and technology issues that relate directly to it. It is aimed at providing students with little or no background in groundwater hydrology with an overarching understanding of the greater discipline and presents both theoretical and practical aspects of the subject area and clearly articulates its relevance to society (and other less scientific factors such as political, economic, social and ethical considerations) and current pressing environmental issues. Furthermore, as this topic is a core component of a postgraduate degree set, the topic aims to foster higher level cognition (synthesis, application, critical thought etc) by way of enhanced student-directed learning on topics that are relevant and interesting to the students such that they can explore areas in greater detail by way of assessment that is designed to be flexible, yet comprehensive and fosters higher level cognitive skills (e.g., problem sets, well-designed essay topics, etc).

At the completion of the topic, students are expected to be able to:

1. Display a basic vocabulary in groundwater hydrology
2. Identify a groundwater management or contemporary issue and write an essay on it
3. Detail the practical drivers for the study of groundwater hydrology, including societal and environmental issues that critically relate to groundwater phenomena
4. Apply some of the more basic scientific concepts and tools used by the groundwater hydrologist by way of problem solving