Overview

Our research group leads educational outreach activities on the challenges of water scarcity, desalination and reuse, sustainable energy production and storage, and how science, engineering and technology address said challenges. The outreach activities target middle- and high-school students and teachers and include lessons, seminars, (hands-on) demonstrations, and summer internships. Our group members also contribute to international outreach through seminars and mentorship to Latin American bachelors students and graduates who seek to pursue graduate school in the US in areas related to clean water.

Educational materials for teachers

As part of our outreach program, we develop educational materials. These materials have been used to create a lesson packet on Water Quality and Treatment that is catered to 8th to 12th grade science students. A lesson packet on Sustainable Energy Production and Storage is being prepared.

Links to lesson packet materials on Water Quality and Treatment

The packet on Water Quality and Treatment was designed so that any teacher interested in educating their students on the topics covered by the packet can easily adapt and use the packet (or any of its parts) into their course plan. All packet materials are available below, free of charge. The packet includes PowerPoint presentations with lecture notes, homeworks, worksheets, hands-on laboratory experiments, handouts, instructions for in-class demonstrations, and a review-quiz. Below, we summarize the day-by-day content of the Water Quality and Treatment lesson packet and provide links to zip files of the corresponding daily materials. We also provide a link to a pdf version of the full lesson packet, useful for organizational and review purposes.

• Water quality and Treatment full lesson packet – pdf file for organizational and review purposes

• Summary of day-by-day content of the Water Quality and Treatment lesson packet with links to corresponding daily materials.
  • Day 1 (In-class time: 15-25 minutes)
    • Water quality report card
    • Water quality report
    • Water collection homework
  • Day 2 (In-class time: 50-55 minutes)
    • Water quality lecture
    • Instructions for water quality assessment activities (Part 1)
    • Worksheets for water quality assessment activities
  • Day 3 (In-class time: 50-55 minutes)
    • Conventional water treatment lecture
    • Coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation demonstration
  • Day 4 (In-class time: 40-55 minutes)
    • Conventional water treatment lecture review
    • Instructions for “build your own media multimedia filter” activity
    • Instructions for water quality assessment activity (Part 2)
  • Day 5 (In-class time: 30-40 minutes)
    • Instructions for virtual tour of advanced water treatment plant
    • Worksheet for virtual tour of advanced water treatment plant
  • Day 6 (In-class time: 45-55 minutes)
    • Advanced water treatment lecture
    • Instructions for low-pressure membrane demonstration
    • Review quiz

Hands-on experiences for students

We also collaborate with local schools, such as the NC School of Science and Math, to create opportunities for hands-on experiences in our lab. Students can enhance research or science projects that are part of their normal curriculum by working with members of our group to collect data and gain exposure to engineering and laboratory analysis skills. These experiences also provide a great vehicle for students to see advanced technologies for water purification and energy production up close. Middle and high school teachers who wish to explore these opportunities for their students should contact Dr. Coronell at coronell@unc.edu.