PROMOTING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF WATER QUALITY- SHOWING HOW TRANS-DISCIPLINARY STUDENTS CONNECTED SCIENTIFIC DATA TO THE MEDIA

Connecting water-quality data to best-management practices, legislation, and tax dollars is a matter of public importance. However, to make political, personal, and socially sound decisions, the public must be informed of the importance of water quality. This project intended to increase public knowledge of local water quality in communities of East-Central Indiana.

A trans-disciplinary team of undergraduate students comprising science and multimedia majors participated in a semester-long, immersive-learning course that focused on water quality in the upper Mississinewa River watershed and the impact of logjams that impede the flow of the river. All scientific data is original and was collected over a six-month period in collaboration with our community partners. Analysis of the data offered insights into the potential sources of water-quality problems, including the logjams.

This presentation covers the communication of scientific findings to the public and the importance of scientific data, stakeholder interviews, and multimedia deliverables, including a student-produced interactive website, to the documentation of a local water-quality hazard. Student presenters will discuss how team dynamics, individual responsibilities, instructor oversight, and interaction with community partners not only influenced website development but led to grant applications in an effort to mitigate logjams along the river.