For the third year in a row, the Louisiana State University Superfund Research Program (LSU SRP) teamed up with Southern University to hold the Shining Light on Pollution Environmental Health Literacy Program. The program covers a wide range of topics related to air pollution and environmental health and also introduces students to different career paths in the environmental health sciences. High school students involved in Southern University’s Upward Bound program are recruited to participate in the week-long program. Participants do not need to have any prior experience with research or STEM classes.

The 2023 Shining Light on Pollution Environmental Health Literacy Program participants and staff at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine on July 14, 2023. Credits: Jennifer Irving.

The Shining Light on Pollution Environmental Health Literacy Program blends instruction about air pollution and environmental health with engaging hands-on activities to provide an immersive learning experience. For example, after learning about how different types of air pollution are formed, participants dive deeper into air pollution chemistry by using LEGO® blocks to build “pollutants” and model the chemical reactions involved in combustion. They also learn how air pollution is measured for regulatory purposes and how low-cost sensors allow communities and individuals to gather their own air pollution data. To tie all these lessons together, students build their own low-cost sensors from scratch using a programmable microcontroller (Arduino), a simple dust sensor, and basic electronics.

The LSU SRP has a long tradition of providing education and outreach on topics related to particulate matter pollution. However, when planning the environmental health literacy program, LSU SRP team members reached out to members of their Community Engagement Core’s Community Advisory Board for advice about how to develop a program that would create the most impact. Some of the suggestions were to work with older students, include information about careers, and provide opportunities for students to build skills that would prepare them for college.

The group projects that program participants complete are a highlight of the Shining Light on Pollution Program. Early in the week, students learn how to find information about environmental health risks and have a hands-on lesson covering how to use the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice screening and mapping tool (EJScreen). They then work with their mentors (graduate students and postdoctoral trainees from the LSU SRP and undergraduate students in the Upward Bound program) to develop a mini-project that they present on the last day of the program.