Collaboration Projects for Science Students

Created by Erik Heinemann

The following is a list of projects that high school science students and teachers can use to collaborate on the internet with classes from around the country and beyond by posting information into ongoing world wide projects.

http://www.energynet.net/ --This site provides a project in which students can work on surveying the energy use and monitoring the use in their own school. They can also connect with local energy engineers and find or develop ways for the better energy use in the school and the community. This project could be done with any middle or high school level class.

CyberMarch or http://teaparty.terc.edu/comweb/cyber/cyber.html --this website provides a link for a project that could change our world. It deals with students from around the world collecting data on ground level ozone levels and sharing their data online. The information will then be organized into global maps and used as a presentation to policy makers with the intention of stressing the importance of clean air policies. This site could be used with high school chemistry classes as they would need to have an understanding of ozone and how to measure and work with instruments.

WISE or http://wise.berkeley.edu/welcome.php -- This site is one that I had to create an account to enter, but once I have entered I found 2 chemistry projects that I could participate in and use with my students as they too can participate. Both projects are geared for high school students and are listed here:

1. CSI: Chemistry Scene Investigators—this first project is one that deals with the very important chemistry concept of balancing reactions. Students can collaborate and participate in different chemical reactions to learn the steps necessary to balance a chemical equation as well as how to use the equation in stoichiometric analysis. The project deals primarily with the work on greenhouse gases and chemical reactions used to detect them.

2. SCOPE: Deformed Frogs—the Environmental Hypothesis – this second chemistry project in which the students and I can participate asks students to investigate possible environmental chemicals that could have caused notable frog deformities. They will investigate the deformities using web based data and research and see if there could be a connection.

In addition to finding 2 chemistry projects, I found with this site 6 environmental projects that could be used in a chemistry class.

1. Global Climate Change -- this project is geared for middle school students but could be used in a high school class as well. It simply asks students to investigate environmental factors for global warming and will organize a classroom activity such as a debate to see if the US should participate in the Kyoto Protocol (which we currently do not). After the activity they will contribute their findings and debate results.

2. SCOPE: Deformed Frogs—The Parasite Hypothesis – this project is similar to the one listed above for the environmental hypothesis but instead of looking into environmental chemicals it investigates a possibility of parasites causing the deformities. This is not geared toward a chemistry class as it is more environmental or even biology, but it is still a project worth looking into especially when students can participate in the environmental hypothesis while other students investigate the parasite hypothesis to compare the findings of both.

3. ROLE: Global Warming A Fact – this project ask students to investigate the causes and effects of global warming. After they have completed the investigation they will create a model and will organize and defend a policy recommendation by posting it on the project site. An excellent project for environmental or chemistry classes at the high school level.

4. SCOPE: The DDT-Malaria Controversy – DDT is an environmental toxin that was used in the early part of the 20^th century to as a pesticide. It was thought to be harmless until the 1950s when Rachel Carson wrote her groundbreaking book on the subject bringing to light the fact that the chemical may seem harmless but is not as its effects take almost 20 years before they are seen. Its use was banned in the United States, yet we still produce it in mass quantities and ship it to other countries. It is being used to kill mosquitoes in the attempt to combat malaria. This project requires students to use their knowledge and investigate the topic in great detail. The goal is to create involved discussions on the controversy and the students are asked to participate in online discussions and post their informed opinions. An excellent project for high school and even college environmental students.

5. SCOPE: The Deformed Frog Mystery – this project takes a look at the frogs again, but this time it compares different hypothesis and allows students draw their own conclusions and maybe create their own hypothesis.

6. Wolves in Your Backyard – this project is geared for middle school, but can be used in high school classes as well. Wolves are natural predators that have been eliminated in certain areas of the country and have been on the endangered or threatened wildlife lists for some time in other areas. There have been in recent years attempts to re-introduce the wolf to certain areas. This project takes a look into the behavior of wolves and investigates their biology and addresses certain questions while asking students to critique management plans and finishes with an online discussion. A great project for middle school students.

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