Scientific Evolution

Designed to foster interdisciplinary research and collaboration, the Townes Center is set to transform the teaching of science at Furman

The Furman University River Basins Research Initiative: A Multidisciplinary Examination of Urban Influences on Piedmont Streams

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

Spatial Analysis of Hydrological Productivity in Fractured Bedrock Terrains of the Piedmont of Northwestern South Carolina

Fractured bedrock aquifers are structurally complex groundwater systems. Groundwater flow is limited to secondary porosity features such as faults and fractures on account of the low primary porosity and permeability of the native bedrock. The hydrologic productivity of wells drilled within these systems is spatially and vertically variable because of limited interconnectivity among these features. The purpose of this study was to assess potential correlations between driller-estimated well yields and the mapped lithology and structural features of the fractured bedrock aquifers of the Piedmont of northwestern South Carolina. Groundwater well data (e.g., well depth, well yields, static water level) of 1,069 wells, geologic data (e.g., lithology, mapped structural features), and topographic data (e.g., surface elevation, slope) were integrated within a geographic information system database for a spatial analysis of well yield distribution. Wells drilled in alluvium had the highest median yield (15 gal/min), whereas those drilled in schist, amphibolite, and gneisses had lower median yields (9, 8.5, and 8 gal/min, respectively). Nonparametric statistical analyses indicated that no geologic or topographic variables considered were strongly or moderately correlated with reported well yields. Spearman’s correlation coefficients for well depth (0.24), static water level (0.19), proximity to water bodies (–0.10), and proximity to lithologic contacts (–0.08) were statistically significant (at the 0.05 confidence level) but only weakly correlated with well yield. Topographic variables and proximity to mapped faults were not statistically significant. Wells drilled in alluvium had the highest yields due to the higher porosity and permeability compared to the bedrock. However, alluvium makes up less than 5% of the study area surface, and so opportunities to further tap this unit are limited and spatially constrained. The lower median yields of other lithologies are attributed to the lack of fracture development in amphibolite and the low degree of weathering within gneiss foliation planes. To maximize yields, wells should be drilled in alluvium close to water bodies and lithologic contacts where possible

Teaching and learning sustainability: An assessment of the curriculum content and structure of sustainability degree programs in higher education

Sustainability degree programs in higher education have proliferated with the emergence of sustainability as a recognized academic field. This study evaluated the curricula of English-language programs granting degrees in sustainability by analyzing 27 bachelor's and 27 master's sustainability programs based on their (1) curricular structure, in terms of the proportion of core versus elective courses, (2) breadth of the core courses, which were classified into one of ten disciplinary categories, and (3) specific disciplinary content of core course subjects. We found that core courses made up the majority of both curricula, although bachelor's programs were more flexible than master's. Within these core courses, sustainability and social sciences were found in more than 85 % of both bachelor's and master's programs, as were natural sciences at the bachelor's level. Less than half of sustainability master's programs required a natural science course, which on average made up just 2 % of required course credits. No text was widely used in core sustainability courses. Our findings demonstrate that there is a wide divergence between the content of programs granting degrees in sustainability; many do not appear to be achieving the integration of natural and social sciences proposed in the literature. We believe that some shared foundations between programs is necessary for sustainability to develop into a mature scientific program that is recognizable across universities and understood by academics, employers, and civil society, and is effective in training the next generation of sustainability scholars and scientists