https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8961-3449
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Abstract
Two modules were designed for high school science students to investigate the performance of a rain garden installed on school property. The rain garden, a green infrastructure system which allows soil infiltration, was installed to reduce impacts to urban streams and can increase the community’s resilience to flooding. By involving students in the analysis of this mitigation strategy, students learned new technical skills, gained varied experiences in collecting and analyzing data, were exposed to new STEM careers, and learned about local issues that impact their community while collaborating with local professionals. In each module, students used their authentic data to address research questions. In the first module, students conducted a land survey and calculated the volumetric capacity of the rain garden. In the second module, students collected rainfall data using rain gauges and analyzed various aspects of rainfall collection. Although these modules were focused on a rain garden already installed on school property, they can be implemented at schools without this mitigation strategy present. The surveying module can easily be applied to measure any land surface feature, and the rain gauge module can be implemented anywhere as it is focused on rainfall collection.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project would not have been possible without the support of the Deer Park Board of Education and the Hamilton County Conservation District for the installation of the DPHS rain garden. The authors would like to thank Bryce Ford (Ohio State University) for explaining the development of the rain garden digital model to DPHS students. Additionally, the authors would like to thank Ed Robeck (Director of Education and Outreach at the American Geosciences Institute) and the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback and guidance that improved this manuscript.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
ONLINE RESOURCES
What the Heck is Storm Water Runoff? video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyH02NjyfPA
DIY: Build Your Own Rain Garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xOu96q9z30
Soda Bottle Rain Gauge Construction Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POBglL9MeZs
Soda Bottle Rain Gauge Construction Instructions: https://www.athensswcd.org/uploads/3/0/1/0/30105193/making_a_diy_rain_gauge.pdf
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online https://doi.org/10.1080/00368555.2024.2336919
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Lauren Brase
Lauren Brase ([email protected]) (ORCID: 0000-0002-8961-3449) spent five years teaching high school science before pursuing a master’s degree in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science at Case Western Reserve University. Following her time with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (EPA ORD) through the ORISE program, she has served as an Education Specialist with the American Geosciences Institute for two years.
Robert Ford
Robert Ford ([email protected]) (ORCID: 0000-0002-9465-2282) has been an Environmental Scientist with EPA ORD for 25 years specializing in restoring contaminated sites with emphasis on characterizing contaminant transport from groundwater to surface water.
Amy Parker
Amy Parker ([email protected]) is a high school physics and physical science teacher at Deer Park High School in Cincinnati, OH.
Heather Mayfield
Heather Mayfield ([email protected]) was the STEM Coordinator at EPA ORD and is now the district manager in Kenton County Conservation District, located in Northern Kentucky.
Adam Lehmann,
Adam Lehmann ([email protected]) was the Watershed Conservation Program Manager with the Hamilton County Conservation District and is now the Central Ohio Water Manager with The Nature Conservancy.
Sarah Meadows
Sarah Meadows ([email protected]) is the Public Involvement Coordinator for the Hamilton County Conservation District.