Environmental Research and Training Project

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS AND SUMMARIES

Project Information Poster

Students Teachers

May 30, 2001
Representative Matheson's News Conference at Skyline

From Received Subject 
Dr. Ray H. Beckett, Jr. Wed 06/13/2001 3:07 PM Fw: news release 

March 30, 2001
Semi-Annual Report

March 21, 2001
 Update on the Environmental Research and Training Projects March 21, 2001.  The research projects of 28 school are described here.  Grant Recipients

Environmental Resources

March 1, 2001
Update on the Environmental Research and Training Project March 1, 2001.  School Grant applications have been receive and grants have been reviewed by the panel of Environmental Experts.  Notification for the grants are currently being sent to successful applicants.

September 1, 2000
Teachers- this program will provide grants to your classes to implement environmental projects in your community.  Teacher will receive and inservice credit to attend a series of workshops and implement the program in their school.
                      Grant Application Form

Environmental Issues of Concern in the State of Utah and the United States
(Data Source: Department of Environmental Quality, August 1, 2000,

The Environmental Protection Agency, and The Environmental Magazine)

Water Quality

  • Drinking Water Quality in Urban and Rural Communities

  • Ground Water Protection

  • Storm Water Runoff

  • Water and Watersheds

  • Conservation of Water

  • Adopt a Body of Water (Clean Up of Streams, Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands)

  • Identification and Removal of Contaminated Sediments in Rivers, Lakes, and Streams

Environmental Restoration

  • Wetlands Restoration

  • Brown Fields

  • Ecosystem Restoration

  • Tree and Vegetation Planting

Air Quality

  • Air Pollution Abatement

  • Climate Change

  • Radon Gas in the Home

  • Industrial Pollutants in Utah by Industry

  • Automobile and Truck Emissions Inspection

  • Alternative Clean Fuels

Pollution Prevention

  • Sustainable Development and Growth

  • Sustainability of Harvested Woods

  • Environmentally Friendly Products in Utah

  • Cleaning, Replanting and Restoring Habitats

  • The Protection of Brine Shrimp in the Great Salt Lake

  • Declining Spawning Habitat for Brine Shrimp in the Great Salt Lake

  • Protecting Endangered Species Native to Utah

  • Environmental Effects on Indian Ruins and Ancient Cultures

  • Environmental Pollution Impact on Endangered Habitats in Utah

Energy Conservation

  • Renewable Energy Resources

  • Energy Conservation

  • Trimming Office Waste

  • Energy Efficiency and Use

Hazardous and Solid Wastes

  • Hazardous Waste Spills

  • Storage and Use of Hazardous Chemicals in the Home

  • Transportation and Disposal of Hazardous Wastes

  • Endocrine Disrupters

  • Pesticides and Toxic Substances

  • Chemicals that Pervade the Environment

  • Nuclear Waste Storage and/or Disposal

  • Disposal of Sewage Wastes from Farms

  • Solid Waste Recycling (used tires, automobile parts, plastic bottles, glass, newspapers, used vehicle engine oil, etc.)

Environmental Health

  • Ecological Indicators of Environmental Health Related Problems

  • Indoor Pollution (Products made from materials and substances that can cause cancer, birth defects and changes in genetic structure.)

  • Mold and Mildew-Induced Illnesses in the Home and Office

  • Environmental Health Problems Caused by Air, Water, and Hazardous and Solid Waste Pollution in Utah

  • Health Problems Caused by Radon Gas

Environmental Education and Policy Development

  • Environmental Laws, Effectiveness, and Policy Needs in Utah

  • Impact of Environmental Educational Programs on the Environment

  • Environmental Education and Training Needs

  • Effectiveness of Environmental Education and Training Programs in Utah

Environmental Research and Training Project

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Utah Engineering Experiment Station (UEES), College of Mines and Earth Sciences, University  of Utah a $133,991 grant for (July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001) to implement an environmental education program. It is entitled, "An Environmental Research and Training Project for Science Teachers and Students in Utah."

The project was developed in collaboration with the Utah State Office of Education (USOE), the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), and in consultation with representatives of business/industry and the environmental community.  It addresses the EPA priority of "Community Issues" designing and implementing model projects to educate the public about environmental issues in their community through community-based organizations.

The project is designed to:

  • Provide teachers with the skills to teach 10th, 11th and 12th grade science students how to identify, characterize and solve environmental problems.

  • Enhance the knowledge of science students concerning community environmental problems.

  • Provide science students with the opportunity to actually develop and implement projects to help resolve environmental problems in the community, thereby enhancing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

  • Provide an opportunity for science students to learn that they can make a difference in solving and preventing environmental problems in their community.

An environmental workshop for science teachers will be held in Salt Lake City, November 11, 2000,  at the University of Utah Merrill Engineering Building, in the Cliff Briner lecture room on the second floor.  Registration at 8:00 AM the session beginning at 8:30 AM. This session will review and discuss the environmental education materials, including a Request for Proposal (RFP), that teachers will use to guide their students in the development of project proposals addressing environmental problems in their community. Once completed, the project proposals are to be submitted to the University of Utah by January 12, 2001. The proposals will then be reviewed and evaluated by an external evaluation group of business and environmental representatives. The evaluation recommendations suggesting areas where such proposals can be strengthened will be returned to each science teacher for review prior to the formal implementation of each project.

Other key features of the project include the following:

(1) A grant of $250 or more will be awarded to each science class that submits a proposal addressing an environmental problem in their community. This grant will help cover the cost of materials that will be required to resolve an environmental problem in the community.
(2) Each environmental project will be posted on the USOE Web site.
(3) The target audience for the project will include approximately 50 10th, 11th and 12th grade science teachers and 2,049 students from urban, suburban and rural high schools in Utah.
(4) A stipend of $750 will be paid to each science teacher that elects to participate in the project.
(5) In-service credit will be awarded to each participating science teacher.

Science teachers who are interested in participating in the environmental science education project should make their intentions known by completing the following registration form and returning it to:     Ray Beckett

Questions should be directed by telephone to Ray Beckett (801) 581-3795
Or
Brett Moulding, Science Education Specialist, Utah State Office of Education, (801) 538-7500 or bmouldin@usoe.k12.ut.us

Application Form

 Environmental Science Education Project Registration Form 2000-2001
 Due October 13, 2000

The purpose of this project is to address critical needs to: 
(1) train high school science students and teachers to identify, characterize and solve environmental problems; 
(2) enhance their knowledge concerning community environmental issues and resource that are available to solve such problems;
(3) provide them with the opportunity to actually develop and implement project proposal, thereby enhancing their critical thinking and problem solving skills by solving community environmental problems and; 
(4) learn that they can make a difference ins solving and prevent environmental problems.

This project is funded through grants from:

Environmental Protection Agency
Utah State Office of Education
Utah Engineering Experiment Station

 


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