Imaging as an educational tool in natural resources engineering

Application of engineering to design "real world" situations is the goal of most engineering design courses. Unfortunately, achieving this is easier said than done, particularly for situations including land use and engineering structures. Computer imaging provides one alternative that has potential for bridging the gap between an instructor's view of a situation and that of the student. Changing conditions are often used in "what if ...?" problems related to runoff and erosion. For example, runoff and erosion estimates from a forested condition are compared with results from a developed condition. A common difficulty in explanation and analysis of such problems is difficulty in describing the land use. Either the instructor provides a description that is almost word for word like one shown in a textbook's table or the students have widely varying perceptions as to what the situation is. In either case, students are unable to demonstrate engineering judgement. Thus, little applicability to real world problems exists. The paper describes application of computer imaging to improve engineering design associated with soil and water engineering. Specific objectives include the following: investigate feasibility of available imaging methods to improve educational delivery; evaluate use of imaging for applications in soil and water engineering; demonstrate applications that relate engineering judgement to real world problems.