Labs

List of labs to do: 1. A Quadrat Lab-allows students indentify organisms within a specific community and evaluate species diversity. 2. Biodiversitylab using the Shannon-Weaver index 3. Primary Productivity lab 4. Airpollution monitoring- specifically detecting ozone using Schoenbein strips 5. Soil analysis lab 6. Water analysis lab (measuring dissolvedoxygen, nitrates, pH, salinity..) 7. Salinization of soil lab 8. LD 50 lab 9. Modeling a wet scrubber lab 10.Effects of Acid Rain lab- buffering systems in nature 11. Exponential Growthlab- something to incorporate the concept of doubling time 12. Mineral mininglab 13. Global warming lab 14. Kill-a-watt lab tragedy of the commons populations cemetery studies sewage treatment and/or landfills salt marshor dune transects macro/micro invertibrate collection and analysis

From: Mark Little, Broomfield HS, Broomfield CO I have a PASCO ecozone set, and I ran the system in my class for a year--I did not keep sensors in the system all year but the system workedwell. I used PASCO sensors but I imageothers will fit --the only change you may need to check is to make sure thestoppers and sensors fit the holes. I know someone who gave each group one ecozone and saidthey were to determine which sensor (only one) they needed to measure thechange in the Environment. They had tobase the report off the data they received from the one sensor otherobservations. I plan on running them with sensors for around 9 weeksand collect data. With the SPARKVUE setup I can limit how often data is taken during a day so the data is not toooverwelming. The Ecozones work well. They are versitle, I have used them for fermentation experiements too.
 * In an aquatic system - try pH, temp and conductivity.
 * In a land system - try a weather sensor PASCO has a small one that humidity, dew point and temp, CO2 and soilmoisture (perhaps have a group set up a desert set up with a cactus and compareto other plants)
 * In compost - CO2 and perhaps temp.
 * Make sure they are sealed well. I have seen a suggestion on using seran wrapas well--I have not tried that.

From Dominique Thayil I actually have the students research what a solar ovenis and then ask them to pick their designs or come up with an original one. Westart collecting cardboard and used paper boxes and I chip in on the aluminumfoil. If they want glass or mirrors, they have to use what I have for physics.Also a lot of duck tape : ) Once the designs are completed, we look for a dayto do a cooking challenge. I buy the precut chocolate chip cookies from therefrigerator section at the grocery store and they have to "bake" the cookies. Who ever bakes first, gets bonuspoints!

From Perla Andujo RE: Best lab manuals Lab Manual for Environmental Science - Wells Laboratory Manual for Miller's Living in the Environment, Environmental Science, and Sustaining the Earth - Rockett/Van Dellen Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring - Mitchell, Stapp Investigating Environmental Science Through Inquiry - Volz, DeMoss