Invited Luncheon Speaker - November 7, 2006 - Karen Campbell & Jeff Marr

Big Science, Big Education: Research, Practice and Education at a National Laboratory in the Mississippi River

Abstract

St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) has been a fixture on the Minneapolis river front for nearly seventy years. Its unique location on Hennepin Island has enabled inexpensive use of river water for large-scale model studies and experiments impacting everything from dam design to instrument calibration. In 2002, SAFL became the headquarters for a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (STC), the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED). Now one of 17 STCs nationwide, NCED’s goal is to build predictive computational models of channels and channel networks on Earth’s surface and in Earth’s subsurface, to aid sustainable landscape and resource management.

The presentation will highlight some of NCED’s successes in integrating research with practice and education, in such diverse areas as oil exploration, stream restoration, and public education through museums and festivals. Particular emphasis will be given to how NCED can be a resource in all three of these areas to geologists in Minnesota.

Biography

Karen has worked as a professional geologist, a librarian, and an administrator in higher education for over 20 years. She holds a Masters degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College, Boston and a BA in geology from Carleton College. Presently, she is the Education Director for the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics.

Jeff is a Professional Engineer whose role at the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics is Director of Knowledge Transfer and Stream Restoration Project Manager. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Karen Campbell
National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED)
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory
2 Third Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 624 4607
kmc@umn.edu
http://www.nced.umn.edu/