Educators Online
Using
Real Data for Science and Math: Examining Watershed Characteristics
This
project starts with basic definitions of computational science,
modeling and visualization. Then, a short course on using
common spreadsheet and graphing functions in Excel is presented.
Finally, a mini-project with predefined exemplar datasets
allows students to use the spreadsheet and graphing functions
with real data. A presentation on watersheds is also included.
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background information
Using
Real Data for Science and Math: Urban Sprawl and its Impacts
on Rural America
This
project focuses on the effects of migration on land resources.
A dataset on one of the fastest growing communities in Ohio — Medina County — is assembled to quantify the
rate of change in population and land use. To do that, speadsheet
and graphing functions in Excel are used. Step-by-step instructions
are included. The students are able to project future parcel
needs with respect to the current tends.
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to the Project
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background information
A
Short Course: Using Modeling and Statistics
This
short course provides introductory information on modeling
and statistics. It is hoped that with the knowledge on modeling
and statistical methods, teachers will be able to use project-based
learning in their classrooms by applying real science data.
The course includes subjects on modeling: types of models,
how to create quantitative models, and visualization techniques.
It also includes subjects on statistics: descriptive statistics,
central tendency measures, line and curve fitting, and linear
regression. Resources on these subjects are also included.
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Modeling
Chemical Kinetics with Stella
STELLA
is a convenient and easily understood tool for constructing
and studying chemical kinetics. This site provides
simple models where "real" chemical names substituted for
"A", "B", etc., and experimentally determined rate constants
can be entered. The resulting models accurately predict
the concentration of the various chemical species at any
time of interest. In their "general" form, the models
can be experimented with to gain an understanding of the
important factors that govern kinetics.
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Experience
Ohio's Watersheds
This
site will allow you to become familiar with watersheds and
their characteristics and learn about the importance of
biological stream quality monitoring in the land use planning
process. Water quality can be measured in many ways. in
this site, you can explore what those measures are and what
they can tell you about the water quality. It is very important
to minimize the impact of development on watersheds. We
can help maintain and protect the quality of watersheds
by using best management practices (BMPs). You can learn
about BMPs in this site and find out which are best suited
for particular situations.
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to the Project
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Hurricanes and Flooding
In this exercise, you will use some real weather and flooding data to construct a model that predicts how much flooding will occur based on the amount of rainfall. You will then use that model to predict the flood damage caused by Hurricane Floyd in 1999. You will compare your flood damage estimate with the actual damage to see how well your model works.
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