How Safe Is Your Backyard?

Student Page (1)

Scenario

You are a member of a team of environmental experts hired by Save the Future, Incorporated, a non-profit environmental education and advocacy group. Save the Future maintains a scientific laboratory and office at our local schoolhouse. At this site testing of samples of soil and water are done in order to detect possible contamination. The laboratory has all the capabilities to determine the safeness of the soil and water in given areas. This laboratory has anywhere from 22 to 30 people in it at any given time. Our business hours are between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. but we can be contacted anytime via email.

The group is an advocate to save our children from the possibilities of soil and water contamination. Your job is to read the newspaper articles presented and determine how to go about testing the soil and water for contamination in different areas in order to protect the children of tomorrow.

Please do an analysis of the soil and water samples and evaluate the suitability for our children. Based on your analysis, please make recommendations to the committee chairperson on suitability of the soil and water and remedies for any problems found now or foreseen for the future. The committee will expect an oral presentation concerning all the results of the on-going investigation.

I realize this may represent a tight schedule on your part but I am confident that with the expertise on your teams you will be able to reach reliable results and conclusions.

Please expedite the results as soon as possible. We on the Save the Future committee will appreciate your hard work and commitment to this project. Wishing you every success in your research.

Return to the top of the page.

 

.Click on push pin to turn to Student Menu page 2.

Created for the NTEP II Fermilab LInC program sponsored by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory Education Office and Friends of Fermilab, and funded by United States Department of Energy, Illinois State Board of Education, North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium which is operated by North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), and the National Science Foundation.
Author(s): Rosanne Fabiny
School: Albert E. Grice Middle School, Hamilton Township, New Jersey
Created: September 9, 1998 - Updated: November 10, 2001
URL: /ntep/f98/projects/pppl/backyard/student1scenario.html