Branching out with STEM

Science, technology, engineering, mathematics.

Though they hang out together as part of an acronym (STEM), the disciplines are more likely to remain in their own silos when it comes to teaching. PCC science faculty member Amanda Mayes wanted to change that, so she tried a new project-based learning unit in a spring BIO 1112 (Ecology & Organismic Biology) course, collaborating with colleagues Nick Alfonso and Chris Javornik.

Mayes created a water-quality design project that would incorporate the elements students needed to learn for the 1112 class but added an engineering design component to expand their STEM knowledge.

“I’m trying to bring about a different way of teaching. I want to be more intentional so (students are) developing skill sets,” Mayes said. “Sitting in class for two hours doesn’t work. When they leave here, they’re not taking exams or listening to lectures, so we want to create a bridge between the theoretical and the practical.”

Her idea: Have students design a simple Arduino – a programmable microcontroller – with sensors to determine water quality in the Arkansas River. Students would collect information to determine how environmental contaminants affect the water supply. They would also observe how species are affected by the composition of the water upstream and downstream.

The Arduino needed to float, be waterproof, and measure the water’s PH value, temperature, total dissolved solids, and turbidity (cloudiness). An SD card collected the data.

“Coding is not something they’d normally do in this biology class,” said Mayes. “They’re identified as STEM students because they’re doing a specific aspect of it (but) you don’t realize how integrated the concepts are until you’re out in the work world.”

After building their controllers, students took a trip to the Arkansas River to put the devices to work. That’s when other important elements of the project emerged.

“It was really cool to see the collaboration within groups and across groups. One group would excel in one aspect, and they’d help others with that facet,” Mayes said. “They learned to communicate outside their comfort zones.”

Data collected from the Arduinos and separate digital sensors was comparable, Mayes said. The results weren’t groundbreaking, but the experience itself was the larger point. Mayes plans to expand her idea to another course next year now that she has established a baseline.

“Students teach you what you need to know to make it better next time,” she said. “Overall, it was a good learning experience for everybody, including instructors.”