Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Dallas students summer internship program with 魅影直播 research, and water science program
staff
DENTON (魅影直播), 魅影直播 鈥� Alyssa Robert, a rising senior at the Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women鈥檚 Leadership School, once thought she couldn鈥檛 drink the water in Dallas.
鈥淚 thought it wasn鈥檛 clean,鈥� Alyssa said. 鈥淏ut I learned that the water cleaning process is held to such high standards that the water sent to our homes is 100% clean and can be drank.鈥�
A collaborative initiative between the and the city of Dallas is providing local high school students and recent graduates like Alyssa with education and hands-on experience in water purification and conservation.
This summer, 10 rising seniors and recent high school grads participated in the (EEI) high school internship program, where they learned about clean water production, the importance of protecting natural resources and how to perform college-level research under the guidance of 魅影直播 faculty, staff and students.
Photo: The EEI intern group plus program staff
The program even provides opportunities to current 魅影直播 students such as Krystal Toney, a doctoral student in Interim Dean of the College of Education Rudi Thompson鈥檚 lab who is basing her thesis on the program.
鈥淚鈥檓 studying the disparity of environmental education programs and that impact,鈥� said Toney. 鈥淚鈥檓 also looking at the importance of diverse perspectives in these programs. EEI helped me find that topic.鈥�
EEI was founded by Thompson in 2005. It aims to provide environmental education to all students in Dallas, especially in underserved communities. Along with the internship program, it provides water conservation education to Dallas students in elementary and middle school. Every school year, the program also holds a research summit for high schoolers.
Photo: EEI students visiting Edward Mager's lab
鈥淭he city wants us to make sure their citizens are environmentally literate,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲ith our interns, we take that idea and do even more to help prepare them for college.鈥�
For instance, students in the program must go through an interview first. The team coaches them on interview attire and the importance of an appropriate email address. The interns also experience life at 魅影直播 by having lunch at Bruce Hall and touring campus.
During the 5-week internship, the group engages with university professors and explores their research. Associate professor Edward Mager in the showed them his lab, which studies how chemicals in the water affect fish. Thompson meets with each intern to discuss their future career goals.
Photo: Ad茫o-P茅rez collecting the natural leaf packs
鈥淚 told her I was interested in environmental law and she connected me to an environmental lawyer,鈥� said Patrick Ad茫o-P茅rez, a recent graduate from Bishop Dunn Catholic School. 鈥淚n that meeting, she showed us the importance of networking.鈥�
More than 150 students have gone through the program since its founding 18 years ago. Many continue working in environmental research.
鈥淲e have one young man who has gone on to be an assistant professor at Stanford working in environmental science,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲e encourage our students to do anything they want to do, and it was sweet when he reached back out and said, 鈥榯hank you for believing in me.鈥欌��
Photo: EEI students studying leaf packs at LLELA
The program includes practical fieldwork, with students performing their own research by placing leaf packs at Lake Tawakoni and the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA). A leaf pack is a bag of leaves from the area left in a creek or at the edge of a lake. After three and two weeks respectively, the group returned to retrieve the packs and study the number of microorganisms living on the leaves. Despite challenges, such as dried-up water at Lake Tawakoni and washed-away packs at LLELA, the interns adapted by using natural clumps of leaves from the stream.
鈥淚 definitely wasn鈥檛 expecting this when I first applied, but it was fun,鈥� said Ad茫o-P茅rez, who collected leaves from the stream.
By measuring the number of microorganisms in the leaf packs and cross referencing it with the species鈥� pollution tolerance, the students were able to determine the level of pollution in the stream. They gave it a pollution tolerance index score of 97 out of 100, indicating it has high quality water.
Participants then visited water and wastewater treatment plants in Dallas to understand
the processes involved in producing clean drinking water.
鈥淚 was amazed at the complexity and extensive process involved in making water safe to drink,鈥� said Rayna Li, a senior at The Hockaday School. 鈥淭he number and power of filters, machines and systems that are used to treat and clean the water is mind-blowing.鈥�
Their findings and recommendations for next year were presented at the Dallas Central Library to employees of the city鈥檚 water conservation division and guests from Dallas ISD. The interns answered questions from the audience and shared their experiences during the entire internship.
鈥淎ny student could benefit from this program,鈥� said Brayden Brown, a recent graduate of Wilmer-Hutchings High School. 鈥淢y favorite part was learning about trickle filters. It鈥檚 when layers of rock are used to clean water, like how waterfalls naturally purify water. It鈥檚 really cool how nature influences our water technology, and I think it鈥檚 something everyone should know about.鈥�
魅影直播 News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Media Contacts:
Amanda Lyons
Amanda.Lyons@unt.edu
940-565-2943
From 鈥� Public Service