An Overview of the Educational Activities on Ground Penetrating Radar Carried out in COST Action TU1208

Abstract

This paper aims to present descriptions, principles, and results of the educational activities carried out in COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 “Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar” (2013-2017). The Action was especially active in the organization of training schools (TSs), which focused on all aspects of ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology, methodology, and applications; overall, 15 TSs were organized in eight countries of the European continent, attended by more than 430 trainees. The Action also organized a successful series of science communication activities to establish a dialogue with stakeholders and end-users of GPR research, as well as to increase public awareness about GPR capabilities and applications. Most science communication activities were carried out in less research-intensive countries of the European continent and the overall initiative was denominated “TU1208 GPR Roadshow.” Part of the Roadshow consisted of a series of non-scientific workshops and practical demonstrations held in six countries and attended by more than 480 participants; in parallel, a series of initiatives with children and citizens were carried out in Estonia. Two more educational initiatives of COST Action TU1208 are presented in this paper. In particular, the Action developed an open-access educational package (“TU1208 Education Pack”) for teaching GPR in University courses. Moreover, the Action developed and made available an openaccess guide for building a cheap frequency-modulated continuous-wave GPR prototype, conceived for training purposes.