An environmental chemistry service-learning project was implemented by Greenville University in coordination with the local county health department to test the quality of well water for residents in a five-county region of southern Illinois. Well owners attended a student run well water testing "kickoff meeting", received testing kits,…

Globalization would appear to be a subject that easily could be addressed in geography classrooms, yet this is not always the case. In terms of pedagogy, many geographers are concerned whether the field has been adequately engaging various components of this topic (e.g., connectivity, core-periphery), especially in terms of making the subject…

Experimental and investigative work has been an integral element in the teaching of science in schools for many years. Although students have always been taught to work safely, there is now a more general requirement that they will be taught about health and safety and how it should be implemented. That is, they must understand something of the…

A Project Based Learning (PBL) methodology was used in the practical laboratories of the Advanced Physical Chemistry department. The project type proposed simulates "real research" focusing on sol-gel synthesis and the application of the obtained sol as a stone consolidant. Students were divided into small groups (2 to 3 students) to…

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are typically Spanish-speaking, Latino immigrants with limited formal education and low literacy skills and, as such, are a vulnerable population. We describe the development of the "Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit", a pesticide safety and health curriculum designed to communicate to farmworkers…

This article connects Extension education and the Healthy Homes Initiative. Background on housing research and education is provided in the context of four issues (toxic materials, dangerous gases, hazards related to asthma, and other residential hazards). The federally funded Healthy Homes Partnership is described, and implications for…

Operation Cleansweep is a free pesticide disposal program that has operated in Florida since 1995. The program is open to commercial facilities, including agricultural production establishments, golf course operators, and pest control companies. Since its inception, the program has had more than 1,700 participants and collected more than 1,000,000…

We examine the effects of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's (CMSD) districtwide efforts to improve school safety, order, and conditions for learning. These approaches include implementing (1) a social and emotional learning program for elementary students (PATHS); (2) a planning model for students exhibiting academic or nonacademic…

A university course project was developed and implemented in a biology course, focusing on environmental problems, to assess community awareness of childhood lead poisoning. A set of 385 questionnaires was generated and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The completed questionnaires were sorted first into yes and no sets…

At the intersection of online education and preparedness, Johns Hopkins University's (JHU) Center for Public Health Preparedness provides all-hazards preparedness and response training for public health and public safety professionals. This report comes from Jonathan Links' keynote address to the Sloan Summer Research Workshop in Baltimore,…

Argues that schools should use a planned communications program to allay fears brought on by asbestos removal. Offers tips on informing the public, such as developing an informative handbook and distributing flyers. Claims that special meetings offer the opportunity to hand out materials and answer questions. (RJM)

Describes how public policy establishing the University of California Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program helped to establish the state's environmental technology industry. The multidisciplinary "science-push" program generated economic development benefits including leveraged research funding and at least 200 new private…

The author looks at the sharp increase in a number of childhood disorders--including asthma, certain cancers, and learning/behavioral disabilities--and the role environmental toxins may play in this increase. He describes the need to train many more health professionals in prenatal and children's environmental health and the national network of…

Describes safety committee (New York section, American Chemical Society) survey of college chemistry facilities to assess hazards and make recommendations, and a cooperative project in Iowa to identify and remove hazardous chemicals from college/secondary school classrooms. Includes a partial list of hazardous chemicals identified by the Iowa…

The background and development of the integrated pest management program in the Dade County, Florida, Schools is discussed. The activities of this IPM program are described. (CW)