Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day

By Mrs. Jennifer Aldridge (USACE)April 28, 2016

Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bryan McClure and Robert Mackey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District senior project managers, taught approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or undergroun... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day
2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District senior project managers taught approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or underground water reservoirs, April 22 to de... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day
3 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bryan McClure, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District senior project manager, teaches approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or underground water reservoi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day
4 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bryan McClure and Robert Mackey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District senior project managers, taught approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or undergroun... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day
5 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Bryan McClure and Robert Mackey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District senior project managers, taught approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or undergroun... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Engineers lead students in groundwater-contamination lesson on Earth Day
6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Robert Mackey, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District senior project manager, teaches approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or underground water reservoi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WIESBADEN, Germany -- A pair of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District project managers encouraged Wiesbaden Middle School students to pollute -- on Earth Day.

Bryan McClure and Robert Mackey taught approximately 75 Department of Defense Education Activity-Europe sixth-grade students to build and contaminate model aquifers, or underground water reservoirs, last Friday to demonstrate the impact of pollutants in drinking water.

Monet Roston, and many of her fellow classmates, didn't know much about aquifers before the Earth Day lesson.

"I knew there was water underneath us, but I didn't know it's the water that we drink," she said.

McClure and Mackey instructed the students to form teams and build aquifers by adding sand, gravel and modeling clay to mason jars to represent layers of the Earth's surface. They also poured water into the jars to simulate ground and surface water. Finally, the students polluted the aquifers with food coloring, vegetable oil, paper and glow-sticks to mimic contamination from harsh chemicals, motor oil, trash and radioactive materials.

After a few minutes, some of the pollutants traveled through the layers, even the confining clay layer, to reach the water at the bottom of the aquifers; others, like the oil, remained on the surface, representing pollution to lakes and streams.

Josh Nielsen, a student and aspiring teacher, said the discussion and activity reminded him that only 1 percent of the Earth's water is accessible to humans and it needs to stay clean.

"When we get older, we will have to live with the conditions we create, so if we pollute and the Earth is dirty, we are going to constantly get sick," he said.

In the spirit of Earth Day, McClure and Mackey stressed the importance of clean water in everyday life. The contamination caused by improper disposal of household cleaning products and pesticides is costly and time-consuming to remediate, Mackey said.

"We hope the students learned how they can prevent groundwater pollution," he said. "We had a great time discussing water, and ways that we, the Corps, manage that resource."

The Corps of Engineers has one of the largest roles in the federal government's water resource management and environmental restoration efforts. The Institute for Water Resources, a USACE center of expertise, manages water-related missions for national and international partners.

"Some people don't know much about, or understand, what the Corps actually does," Mackey said. "When we speak with students, we explain the variety of ways the Corps helps our country and others."

WMS educators and students also work to improve the environment. In 2015, the school won a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon award and also received a U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Green Boot Certificate in 2014.

Students here are used to recycling and being environmentally conscious, and this activity added something new to think about, said Donna Seaton, a WMS sixth-grade science teacher.

"They see there is really a purpose to studying what we study," she said. "This type of activity reaches every student at their level -- from the advanced student to the reluctant learner."

In 2013, USACE and DODEA announced a formal partnership to bring science, technology, engineering and math to life in classrooms around the world.

Europe District, an official partner of WMS, executes education and community-outreach activities annually. Previous activities such as planting a STEM garden, studying endangered bats and visiting active construction sites have been very successful, Seaton said.

"I've had several representatives from the Corps in my class, and it is always motivational for the students," she said. "Partnerships like ours are important so the school is not a separate entity, but part of the community and the Wiesbaden family."

Mackey said district volunteers get a lot of out of the experience, too.

"I enjoyed our time with the students. They were active participants, and that makes it fun," he said. "I hope I was able to start a discussion about their future as scientists or engineers."

This Earth Day activity was designed to raise awareness about how student actions impact the environment and the responsibilities they have as part of society, McClure said.

"What inspires me to engage and talk about these issues is the STEM-related benefit from our interactions," he said. "It's likely that not all the students were enthralled with the concepts of aquifers, drilling wells, understanding the subsurface of the Earth's composition, water conservation, or preventing contamination; however, it's likely that at least one student was interested in some aspect of what we discussed.

"Perhaps our engagement with them becomes an encouragement to explore STEM-related fields and become one of the next great leaders in our industry, and that is my drive -- seeing the next generation get excited about STEM.

And he may have been successful.

"I want to volunteer and help the planet when I'm older," Monet said.