HANDS-ON TEACHING THROUGH A STUDENT SENIOR PROJECT IN GEOPHYSICS AT KFUPM

We describe the successful collaborative venture in 2008 between the Earth Sciences Department (ESD) at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) and the Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate Research Center (SDCR) in developing a hands-on teaching and research training program for undergraduate geophysics students.

The geophysics undergraduate program at KFUPM includes a core course entitled “Senior Project”. The objective of the course is to train students in designing and carrying out geophysical research that would broaden their understanding in geophysics. The course is divided into two parts, with the first part focusing on theory and practical preparation for the fieldwork and the second focusing on the actual field measurement, processing and analysis.

We first make sure that our students are familiarized with both theory and practical background necessary for the geophysical research. We handle this through weekly discussions, seminar-style instructions and reading assignments for the first three weeks. We then ask students to implement the following detailed action plan:

o designing and proposing the research project (written and oral presentation) including which instruments to use and why

o carrying out the field geophysical research as a group

o using computers to process, display, model and interpret the acquired geophysical data

o presenting their results both orally and in a written form

Nine students have participated in this year course and they undertook a "real study" to characterize the near surface in eastern Saudi Arabia. They carried out two refraction seismic lines and made more than 100 microgravity measurements to map the near surface. We, along with the SDCR researchers worked with them in the field as well as in the lab to guide their work and help them get the most out of their research experience. The students produced an abstract of their findings at the 2009 Society of Exploration Geophysics Development and Production Forum held in Manama, Bahrain on August April 10 to 15.

We believe that this training program enhances the students’ understanding in geophysics and gives them technical and personal skills that they would not have developed otherwise. The program also provides an opportunity to introduce the students to the challenges of scientific research at an early age.