Tanya Kunberger

Calibration of the 10HS Soil Moisture Sensor for Southwest Florida Agricultural Soils

AbstractPrecision irrigation is crucial in decreasing water demands of irrigated agriculture, which account for the largest source of water withdrawal in most regions. One necessity of precision irrigation is the knowledge of soil moisture content in the root zone of irrigated crops. Dielectric soil moisture sensors can provide this information at a relatively low cost (

Revising a Design Course from a Lecture Approach to a Project-Based Learning Approach.

100) compared with other techniques; however, their accuracy cannot be guaranteed in all soils without site-specific calibration, the need for which has limited the use of these sensors. This study examined the Decagon 10HS soil moisture sensor in order to determine the accuracy of the manufacturer-supplied calibration equation on southwest Florida (SWFL) agricultural soils, and analyze whether it performs consistently in different soils found in SWFL. Laboratory calibration of the 10HS was done on four SWFL soils that represent the majority of agricultural land in the region and regression calibration equations were obtained. It was foun...

A Low-Cost Approach for Rapidly Creating Demonstration Models for Hands-On Learning.

In order to develop the evaluative skills necessary for successful performance of design, a senior, Geotechnical Engineering course was revised to immerse students in the complexity of the design process utilising a project-based learning (PBL) approach to instruction. The student-centred approach stresses self-directed group learning, which focuses on the process rather than the result and underscores not only the theoretical but also the practical constraints of a problem. The shift in course emphasis, to skills over concepts, results in reduced content coverage but increased student ability to independently acquire a breadth of knowledge.

Evolution of Heterogeneous Mixed Siliciclastic/Carbonate Aquifers Containing Metastable Sediments

ABSTRACT Demonstration models allow students to readily grasp theory and relate difficult concepts and equations to real life. However drawbacks of using these demonstration models are that they are can be costly to purchase from vendors or take a significant amount of time to build. These two limiting factors can pose a significant obstacle for adding demonstrations to the curriculum. This article presents an assignment to overcome these obstacles, which has resulted in 36 demonstration models being added to the curriculum. The article also presents the results of student performance on course objectives as a result of the developed models being used in the classroom. Overall, significant improvement in student learning outcomes, due to the addition of demonstration models, has been observed.

From Catch-all to Clarity: Revising a First-year, Multidisciplinary Introductory Course

Mixed carbonate and siliciclastic marine sediments commonly become freshwater aquifers in eastern coastal regions of the United States and many other global locations. As these deposits age, the carbonate fraction of the sediment is commonly removed by dissolution and the aquifer can become a solely siliciclastic system or contain zones or beds of pure quartz sand. During aquifer evolution, the sediment grain size characteristics, hydraulic conductivity, and porosity change. An investigation of these changes using mixed carbonate/siliciclastic sediment samples collected from a modern barrier island beach in southern Florida showed that the average mean grain diameter decreased with removal of the carbonate fraction, but the average hydraulic conductivity and porosity increased slightly, but not to statistical significance. This counterintuitive result occurs because of the change in the pore types from a combined shelter and intergranular pore system producing a dual porosity system in the mixed sediments to a single intergranular pore system in the siliciclastic sediment fraction. Within the mixed carbonate/siliciclastic sediment, in the pure carbonate fraction, large shell fractions form grain-supported large pores, which become filled with sand-sized quartz as the shell fragments decrease in size or as the sediment becomes compacted. The hydraulic conductivity increases because the shell fragments that were oriented perpendicular to flow caused an increase in the length of the flow path, or a larger scale tortuosity, compared with the flow through pure quartz sand.