TeacherWS2015

Teacher Workshop on River Dynamics and Vegetation in the Arid West, August 10th, 2015

Introduction

CIRES and CSDMS jointly teach a Teacher Workshop on Earth-Surface Dynamics, designed to engage K6-12 science teachers in a focused topic in Earth-surface dynamics. The topic of the 2015 Teacher Workshop will be River Dynamics and Vegetation in the Arid West. We will share expertise on laboratory experiments and fieldwork and introduce research using numerical modeling experiments.

Topic

CU researchers, Greg Tucker, Irina Overeem and Mariela Perignon, will share insights on river processes in the Western US. Educators will learn more about the physics of water flow and sedimentation processes. We will use the Rio Puerco, New Mexico, to illustrate how river morphology rapidly changed with the introduction of the invasive tree species Tamarisk in the 1920s. More recently, efforts to destroy Tamarisk have led again to dramatic changes in channel geometry and sedimentation during floods. Thus, the Rio Puerco represents a unique natural experiment in the effects of long-term vegetation change on a dryland river system. Participants will do hands-on experiments and computer modeling that can be easily used in your own classrooms to learn about river dynamics and vegetation.

This workshop is intended for approximately 15 participants.
Participants will receive a $50 stipend for full day attendance.
Free lunch is provided.
Participants can separately apply to receive 0.5 credits through the University of Colorado Continuing education Program.

Deadline for Application: July 10th, 2015

Register here: the Power of Water