Teaching STEM Principles Through the Design,

Construction and Deployment of

Water Quality Sensors

Presented by: Liesl Hotaling

Acknowledgments

• Dr. Rustam Stolkin, University of Birmingham, UK• Dr. James Bonner and Mr. William Kirkey, Clarkson

University• Dr. Susan Lowes and Ms. Peiyi Chen,

Columbia University, Teachers College• Teachers and students participating in SENSE IT• National Science Foundation ITEST program

The Sensor Revolution

Sensors are ubiquitous in the modern world.

From motion-sensing light switches to environmental observatories; we are connected to our physical world in real time.

The “sensor revolution” is giving the world its first electronic nervous system.

"Telegeography Maps" at Telegeography at http://www.telegeography.com/resources

The education of the 21st century environmental technology workforce demands:

• an understanding of environmental sciences and other disciplines;

• an ability to resolve complex environmental issues; and

• the ability to communicate complex ideas to a broad audience.

Fostering these critical abilities will require a new set of learning opportunities.

Feeding the Revolution

Educational Context for SENSE IT

“Children learn best if they are immersed in complex experiences and are given the opportunity to actively process what they have learned” [3].

Our Other Youth [4], reports that the majority students learn best when instruction emphasizes application.

Yet only 16 percent of instruction in U.S. classrooms could be characterized as application [5].

To assist students in achieving content mastery, teachers must create learning environments that present students with challenging problems so that they can demonstrate their knowledge through application.

[3] Caine, R.N., & Caine, G. (1991). Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.[4] Conrath, J. (1986).Our other youth: handbook of guidelines for teachers and other adults who work with at risk kids and discouraged or defeated learners. Gig Harbor, WA.[5] Stevenson, H.W., & Stigler, J.W. (1992) The learning gap: why our schools are failing and what we can learn from Japanese and Chinese education. New York: Summit Books.

SENSE IT

Student Enabled Network of Sensors for the Environment using Innovative Technology (SENSE IT)

SENSE IT integrates STEM skills into a robust interdisciplinary Curricula and teacher development effort by teaching 3,000 high school students to design, build, test, deploy and interpret their own environmental sensors.

SENSE IT provides 120 hours of professional development, in-class support and necessary equipment, while directly increasing awareness of STEM career opportunities for students and teachers.

The objectives of SENSE IT are to:

1) Develop sensor technologies curricula for the high school classroom;

2) Use environmental sensors as an engaging context to teach technology, engineering, mathematics, science, and critical workforce skills;

3) Encourage learners to look at a local problem and data with a global perspective.

4) Promote awareness of sensor network related careers and opportunities among high school teachers, students, parents and guidance counselors;

5) Emphasize that mathematics is the language of all STEM disciplines and the key for entering any STEM career.

SENSE IT Project Goals

SENSE IT is comprised of four modules:

1) Sensor development2) Sensor deployment and data gathering3) Water Quality and Environmental Science4) Sharing Data - Wireless sensor networks

The modules are being implemented with high school students and Integrated into Environmental Science, Chemistry, General Science, Physics, Integrated Algebra, and/or Pre-engineering courses.

The students are challenged to design, assemble, test, deploy, program,troubleshoot and communicate with temperature, conductivity, turbidity, and hydrostatic pressure (depth) sensors.

SENSE IT Description of Activities

SENSE IT – Module 1

Requires students to design, construct, and test sensors to test water quality parameters.

Students use various mechanisms of data gathering (e.g. multimeters) to measure sensor output and estimate the accuracy, repeatability and sensitivity of their devices.

This module requires the use of:

• Mathematics skills (e.g. systems of equations, data plotting and curve fitting, rearranging formulae);

• Science skills (understanding physical quantities, measurement and error estimation, electrical components and circuits);

• Pre-engineering skills (engineering design, tool use, testing and debugging);

• General skills (teamwork, communication).

SENSE IT – Module 2

Requires students to integrate their sensors with microprocessors (LEGO NXT), and write simple programs to enable gathering, analysis and transmission of sensed environmental data.

Students then deploy their sensor system and use it to make measurements of their local environment which they then plot and analyze.

The deployment and data gathering module requires students to use:

• Mathematics skills (systems of equations, simple statistics, manipulation of formulae);

• Science skills (hydrology, electrical circuits);

• Pre-engineering skills (design, testing and problem solving, tool use);

• Technology skills (programming and interfacing a microprocessor); and

• General skills (teamwork, communication).

SENSE IT – Module 3

Requires students to investigate various environmental degradation issues including issues of environmental justice. They are encouraged to apply lessons learned to assess the quality and overall health of the local river or water body and surrounding area.

The environmental issues module requires the use of:

• Science skills (hydrology, water science – specifically how parameters interact such as temperature and dissolved oxygen)

• Technology (using computers for data analysis and display) and general skills (teamwork, communication).

SENSE IT – Module 4

Provides students with an overarching framework for all the units by exposing students to the burgeoning field of environmental observatories, and the ongoing transformation in environmental sensing (from the discrete sampling methods of the past to the continuous, in-situ monitoring methods that are now emerging in the field).

The ability to share data in this format demonstrates the collaborative nature of the project, the ease of data sharing on the internet and is far more collaborative than using water quality test kits and/or probes in isolation.

The environmental observatories module requires the use of mathematics skills (data analysis), science skills (understanding of the physical quantities measured, hydrology, environmental science), technology skills (programming, internet and IT use) and general skills (cyber-collaboration, communication).

www.senseit.org

Resistance vs temperature for a thermistor

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Sample Results – Lesson 5(a)

Temperature vs output voltage for potential divider circuit

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Sample Results – Lesson 5 (b)

Temperature versus output voltage

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Best fit straight line

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Best fitting a straight line to a plot of temperature versus ouput voltage. The straight line can be extrapolated to find its intercept with the Y axis (the value b). Note that b may be negative, typically taking values around -30.

Conclusion

SENSE IT promotes inquiry based learning strategies through achallenging hands-on project. It also promotes student awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of modern engineering and the interdependence of diverse areas of science and math.

The theme of environmental stewardship and sensor systems provides:

1) a motivating and meaningful scenario for learning a wide range of core math, science and technology topics;

2) an engaging link between biological, physical and social sciences and;

3) a cutting-edge example of science and engineering research, delivered directly into the classroom in a particular area of growing importance and workforce need.

Thank You!

Questions?

Liesl Hotaling, lhotaling@marine.usf.edu