Hydroville Curriculum Project: A Successful Toxicology Outreach Program for High School Teachers and Students in Oregon

Abstract

Headlines such as "Herbicide Spill Leaves Hundreds of Fish Dead in Creek", "Bacteria Foul School Air Forcing Four Rooms to Close" and "Schools Shut off Drinking Fountains: Excessive Levels of Lead Found in Schools" are being seen with increasing frequency in Oregon newspapers, as well as in news reports nationwide. Helping students understand the science behind these headlines has been the focus of an ongoing collaboration at Oregon State University between the Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Center and the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program. This article will discuss this highly successful outreach effort employed by the EHS Center and the SMILE Program to increase the understanding of environmental health science by teachers, students, and community members. It also elaborates on the educational model developed and employed by the SMILE Program and then provides a specific example from the Hydroville Curriculum Project of how an environmental health science scenario fits within the context of SMILE Program pedagogy. Finally, this article comments on the successful elements of the EHS Center and SMILE Program partnership and opportunities for EHS Center investigators.