USING RADON PROBLEMS FOR QUANTITATIVE AND SCIENCE LITERACY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

According to EPA estimates (http://www.epa.gov/radon/healthrisks.html), “radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.” Radiation, emitted by radon during its normal decay process, causes cancer and other lung diseases in people exposed to it. Because much of the U.S. lies in geological zones with moderate to high potential for radon exposure, this topic is a particularly good one to develop students' scientific, quantitative, and citizenship skills and literacies. Using data sets available on the internet, we have developed a course module, suitable for introductory geoscience courses. The module includes several radon problems that are explicitly designed to strengthen students' quantitative and scientific skills, including making measurements and graphs, manipulating numbers, using equations, recognizing uncertainty, recognizing assumptions, and problem-solving. (http://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/issues.html). Several of the problems also involve understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of radon results. Finally, the problems culminate in a campus and community outreach project that includes making and interpreting short-term radon measurements and providing explanatory material to the community.