“Air Toxics Under the Big Sky”
2008 Air Toxics Under the Big Sky Symposium Click here for agenda
The 4th annual Air Toxics Under the Big Sky is scheduled to take place on The University of Montana campus on Thursday, May 15th. Jointly hosted by the UM Center for Environmental Health Sciences and Department of Chemistry, this annual event will showcase student research projects focusing on atmospheric chemistry, indoor air quality, and effects on respiratory health.
Nearly 200 high school students, teachers and tribal college students in Montana and Idaho participated in the air quality research program during the 2007-08 academic year. As the culminating event for students to communicate their research findings to the public, the symposium has become an important regional gathering for students, educators and community groups interested in raising public awareness about environmental health issues.
To complement the student research presentations in the North Underground Lecture Hall during the morning session, there'll be an environmental health fair in the Skaggs Building lobby from 2-3pm featuring student posters and displays from agencies and community organizations.
Background
Originally piloted by Big Sky High School chemistry teacher Dave Jones in 2004, the program is providing mentoring opportunities for students to work alongside university-based scientists from the UM Center for Environmental Health Sciences and the Department of Chemistry in examining important components of air pollution called Volatile Organic Compounds and Particulate Matter (PM2.5). Levels of these pollutants are being measured both outdoors and indoors to provide a better picture of how they vary seasonally and geographically and evaluate their potential human health effects.
High-tech equipment and other laboratory resources necessary for this work were purchased through the generous financial support of the Toshiba America Foundation, the Toyota Tapestry Foundation, and 3M. This support allowed the program to be expanded to several other schools in western Montana including Hellgate High School in Missoula as well as Corvallis and Hamilton high schools in the Bitterroot Valley. During the 2007-8 academic year our educational partnership is expanding into the towns of Libby and Whitefish and onto the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho.
2008 Grant News
CEHS recently received a three-year $240,600 grant from the Toyota USA Foundation to expand the Air Tox program. This additional funding will be used to offer young students greater access to university-based mentors through classroom visits, laboratory tours, and increased distance learning opportunities for rural areas, including a remote Native village in Alaska.
This expanded technology outreach and education program will feature:
* Workforce development to introduce student to career possibilities in environmental health & biomedical science fields
* Professional development for teachers
* Intensive student training to introduce concepts of QA/QC and scientific protocols
* Mentoring to develop community-based investigations
* Workshops conducted at the UM campus and via distance learning technology
* “Live” demonstrations reinforced by training videos and DVD series
* Annual symposia to foster community engagement and collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to solving environmental health problems
Read what's happening at Whitefish High School here and here.
Read what's happening at Libby High School here.
Read what's happening at Corvallis High School here.
The Big Sky Air Toxics program is a model for:
* Bringing student-based scientific inquiry into the classroom
* Giving students real-world experience on problems relevant to their communities
* Encouraging young students to seek further education and careers in environmental and biomedical sciences
2007 High School Health Science Symposium
For more information on the event, click here. To see photos from the event, click here.
2006 High School Health Science Symposium
For more information on the event, click here.To see photos from the event, click here.
2005 Symposium Presentations
To see photos from the event, click here.
Big Sky High School
What are the Health Effects Associated with High Amounts of Xylene inside on Asthmatics
Ashley Wamsley, Jessie Leibenguth, Amanda Chilcote, Kelli Grenfell
Air Sample Project: Benzene
Maura Mall, Peter Kern, Rael Villarreal-Caldero
Asthma, Air Stagnation & Toluene Fluctuations
Beau Dahlgren, David Hanson, Mark Nygren, Seth Pedi, Erin Vetter
Indoor vs Outdoor Air Quality: The Big Sky Connection
Kim Tritz and Amanda Richard
How Your Heating Source Affects Your Health
Alex Green, Sara Jacob, Alysa Northrup, Rachel Stevenson, Jessica Trethewey
What Geographical Area has the Highest Concentrations of BTEX Compounds?
Sasha Linlee and Tom Kyle
Benzene and Traffic-Related Pollution
Verena Schild, Carolyn James, Liz Higgins, Kayla Nelson, Erika Scofield
Corvallis High School
A Baseline Study: Analysis of Indoor & Outdoor VOCs in Bitterroot Valley
Air Ali Messer, Heather Wofford, Lindsay Thomas, Corrine Defrate, Amber Jessop
A Baseline Study: Determining Exposure Levels of VOCS in Corvallis High School
Ashley Mitchell
Comparison of Household VOC Levels
Justin Harmon, Jordan Hooten, Chris Auch, Kayleigh Burres
Hellgate High School
VOCs in Missoula's Air: What Are They?
Nathan Mikes and Owen Davey
Night vs Day VOC Levels & the Weather
Clarie Clevinger, Katie Hartmann, Molly Pickett
Burning of Natural Gases & VOCs
Jeff O'Neal, Colleen Miller, Eric Maunder
Sources of VOCs Based on Locations within Missoula
Emilia Johnson, Leila Sears, Caitlin Harcrow
Salish Kootenai College
Air Toxics Under the Big Sky: Program Overview and Data from Salish Kootenai College
Tony Ward, Ph.D., Center for Environmental Health Sciences
