To gain a deep understanding of ecological hazards, students in Environmental 101 worked in groups to create presentations on hazards in specific regions. 

“Just focusing on one country instead of global hazards made this project a lot more interesting,” senior Maha Chaudhry said. “I would be really overwhelmed if I had to learn about hazards around the world, but I was able to localize all of these issues to just one country. It also helped me learn more about hazards in Australia that I never knew about.”

Students were tasked with presenting the information in an engaging format, while having complete creative control.

“Figuring out how to present all of the information was challenging, but my group settled on making an interactive trivia game,” senior Kiersten Simmons said. “We were able to share what we learned but keep it entertaining for the class. No one else in the class did a presentation like ours so it was nice to change it up.” 

Instead of creating a typical slideshow, some groups decided to be more innovative with their presentation.

“My group chose Australia, but we wanted to make it funny for the audience. We had Chris Hemsworth guide us through the different issues in the area,” Chaudhry said. “One of the partners did a funny Australian accent and introduced all the topics, but we also had a kangaroo named JoJo asking us questions.”

Trying this project for the first time, Environmental 101 teacher Martha Horner hopes to build upon it next year.

“I hope students appreciate the challenges faced by other regions in regard to Environmental Health Hazards, [while still] having fun developing a unique presentation format,” Horner said. “I have been thinking of having students incorporate some creative or artistic aspects into their projects.  I may incorporate a second project in the class next year to allow for artistic expression.”