How Green is the Greenway? Using Field Research as a

Teaching Tool

Primary Focus

Increase science literacy

Primary Focus

Increase science literacy Give field experience to high school students

Primary Focus

Increase science literacy Give field experience to high school students Give lab experience with significantly more accurate

equipment

Primary Focus

Increase science literacy Give field experience to high school students Give lab experience with significantly more accurate

equipment

Give grant writing experience to high school students

Primary Focus

Increase science literacy Give field experience to high school students Give lab experience with significantly more accurate

equipment

Give grant writing experience to high school students

Give thesis writing (and defending) experience while still in high school

Primary Focus

Increase science literacy Give field experience to high school students Give lab experience with significantly more accurate

equipment

Give grant writing experience to high school students

Give thesis writing (and defending) experience while still in high school

Give experience with presentation skills to various audiences

Project Goals

Goal 1 – Introduce “Real World” Science and Research

Students had to identify a project Define clear cut “specific aims” for their projects

Project “significance” had to be defended before peers and university faculty before commencement

Project Goals

Goal 2 – Improve Student Ability to Communicate Scientific Ideas

Focused on communicating ideas and scientific reasoning

Required both written and oral defenses

Required the creation of a scientific poster with project analysis

Phase I – Laying the Groundwork

We began by running an informal “journal club”

Students were given selected papers, articles or reviews to read

We focused on environmental chemistry issues because of student interest

Students would read and discuss the articles with the goal of identifying the aims of the research and how those goals were being achieved.

Phase II – Building a Project

We spent the first weeks of the class doing labs on water quality and soil quality to show students what kind of research they could conduct.

Students identified a local environmental problem to solve based on lab results

Students researched journal articles in their area of interest

Students submitted an abstract for approval and had frequent guidance on how to narrow down the scope.

TAYYAB HUSSAINCARLOS CARBAJAL

LUIS SUAREZANNA BETHEL

Phosphate, Nitrate and Potassium Levels in the

High Point Greenway Creek

Purpose

Testing water samples:

Chemicals being tested

Phosphates, Nitrates, PotassiumAreas being tested

HPU, Residential Areas, SchoolFrequency of Sample Aquisition

Every one to two weeks

Data Analysis

Determine the amount of runoff and its effects to the environment from each location and how much accumulates down the stream by taking two samples at each location

Record observations of the surrounding water, weather, date, and temperature each day

LYELLE DAVISDANIEL TROUPE

ILAI-KALLAI CHAVIS

Is There a Link Between Weather Patterns and Dissolved

Oxygen Levels in Creeks?

CASSIE AIKENSJAKE SNYDER

TUYEN NGUYEN

Soil pH vs. Tree Growth

BRYTIAN CHANDLERRANAA BIBBS

LATAYSIA TINSLEY

Does Traffic Volume Effect Heavy Metal Concentrations in Boulding Branch Creek?

ADAM HEBBARDCAMERON BROOKS

JALEN TURNERDIARIA MCMANUS

Bacterial Contamination of Boulding Branch Creek

CODY DAWSONELAINA SKAROTE

MERCEDEZ MELENDEZAISHA RIAZ

Macroinvertebrates and Dissolved Oxygen Levels

Results

Before implementation:

64% of my students entered college 22% of my students entered college with a STEM Major

After implementation:

92% of my students entered college 84% of my students entered college with a STEM Major

University Professors noted that MOST presentations were at or above the graduate level expectations

Significant improvement in Campus Pride

Project Clean Sweep

As part of the National Clean Sweep - Waterways

Day, our school held its first beautification day

where students volunteered on a Saturday and picked up trash on the greenway and in the creek.

We found a lot of interesting items...

TiresBikesShopping Carts

Campus-wide clean up days are held several times each year

Beautification Days:

• On October 14th we planted the 100 azaleas we received through a grant with NC Beautiful

• On April 17th we weeded flower beds, trimmed shrubs, mulched beds and trees and planted over 500 bulbs and annuals all donated by local garden centers. Over 150 parents and students attended

We have also implemented a school-wide recycling program and energy conservation

monitoring

Grants

We started with VERY limited equipment, so students were required to help write grants for the specific equipment they needed to collect data for their projects

Grants

We started with VERY limited equipment, so students were required to help write grants for the specific equipment they needed to collect data for their projects

Students had a 128% success rate with written grants (two of seven groups were given more money than they asked for)

Grants

We started with VERY limited equipment, so students were required to help write grants for the specific equipment they needed to collect data for their projects

Students had a 128% success rate with written grants (two of seven groups were given more money than they asked for)

In two years we have accumulated over $60,000 in equipment and supplies

Grants

Donors Choose NC Beautiful UNCG GK-12 Logo Contest – Net, Soil TesterNorth Carolina Science Teachers Association

Chem.In.Communities American Chemical SocietyBurrows Wellcome FundEcolabsAlliance for Climate EducationKiwanis Club