This lesson introduces students to the concepts of air pollution and technologies that have been developed by engineers to reduce air pollution. Students develop an understanding of visible air pollutants with an incomplete combustion demonstration, a "smog in a jar" demonstration, construction of simple particulate matter collectors and by exploring engineering roles related to air pollution. Next, students develop awareness and understanding of the daily air quality and trends in air quality using the Air Quality Index (AQI) listed in the newspaper. Finally, students build and observe a variety of simple models in order to develop an understanding of how engineers use these technologies to clean up and prevent air pollution.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is an intriguing and publicized environmental problem. This swirling soup of trash up to 10 meters deep and just below the water surface is composed mainly of non-degradable plastics. These plastic materials trap aquatic life and poison them by physical blockage or as carriers of toxic pollutants. The problem relates to materials science and the advent of plastics in modern life, an example of the unintended consequences of technology. Through exploring this complex issue, students gain insight into aspects of chemistry, oceanography, fluids, environmental science, life science and even international policy. As part of the GIS unit, the topic is a source of content for students to create interesting maps communicating something that they will likely begin to care about as they learn more.

Learners will identify sources of air pollution, explain the greenhouse effect, and detail procedures for improving and maintaining air quality. This represents a portion of the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) series in Nebraska middle and high school agricultural education.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Deep shale formations underlie most of North America and are typically inhospitable to microbial life. However, hydrologic fracturing of shale creates space and injects moisture and nutrients into the system, thus allowing new microbial communities to form. These communities can cause problems by corroding infrastructure and souring the hydrocarbon steam. Understanding the behavior of these microbial communities could lead to better management techniques. Recently, researchers examined the microbial genomes and metabolic capacity of fractured shale wells in Oklahoma, USA. Oklahoma shale is much hotter and has lower salinity than the previously characterized formations in the eastern USA. This study found that the Oklahoma formations had greater microbial taxonomic and metabolic diversity than the eastern formations. Sampling over time revealed that this microbial community broke down complex polymers from the fracturing process and used them for nutrients..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

In this lesson, students will identify the Earth's natural resources and classify them as renewable or non-renewable. They will simulate the distribution of resources and discuss the fairness and effectiveness of the distribution. Students will identify ways that they use and waste natural resources, and they will explore ways that engineers interact with natural resources.

Students are introduced to the growing worldwide environmental problems that stem from plastic waste. What they learn about microplastics and the typical components of the U.S. water treatment process prepares them to conduct three engaging associated activities. During the lesson, students become more aware of the pervasiveness and value of plastic as well as the downstream pollution and health dangers. They learn how plastic materials don’t go away, but become microplastic pollution that accumulates in water resources as well as human and other animal bodies. They examine their own plastic use, focusing on what they discard daily, and think about better ways to produce or package those items to eliminate or reduce their likelihood of ending up as microplastic pollution. A concluding writing assignment reveals their depth of comprehension. The lesson is enhanced by arranging for a local water treatment plant representative to visit the class for Qs and As. In three associated activities, students design/test microplastic particle filtering methods for commercial products, create mini wastewater treatment plant working models that remove waste and reclaim resources from simulated wastewater, and design experiments to identify the impact of microplastics on micro-invertebrates.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Oil spills have devastating effects on the environment, and thousands, of varying size, occur each year. Spilled oil can be removed from the environment in numerous ways, such as with the use of dispersants to break up oil slicks on the water surface. But while oil spills themselves pose well-known threats to marine life, the methods used for oil cleanup can also have unintended consequences. To examine these effects, researchers recently investigated how treatment of oil with dispersants produced synthetically (Finasol) and by bacteria (rhamnolipid) impact microbial communities and their ability to break down oil from the subarctic Atlantic Ocean. They found that cold-loving bacteria initially dominated the bacterial communities when both dispersants were used, but some key species of bacteria that specialize in breaking down aromatic hydrocarbons, which are the major and most toxic components of crude oil, became abundant over time in only the presence of rhamnolipid..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Students are introduced to the concepts of air pollution and air quality. The three lesson parts focus on the prerequisites for understanding air pollution. First, students use M&Ms to create a pie graph that expresses their understanding of the composition of air. Next, students watch and conduct several simple experiments to develop an understanding of the properties of air (it has mass, it takes up space, it can move, it exerts pressure, it can do work). Finally, students develop awareness and understanding of the daily air quality using the Air Quality Index (AQI) listed in the newspaper. In an associated literacy activity, students explore the environmental history timeline.