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By Aaron Pramana
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May. 22, 2009 |
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A group of 10 freshmen science students are participating in an extra-credit project, using cell phones to track their carbon emissions over a three-week period to learn more about their impact on the environment.
Biology teacher Mark Wenning said he hopes the project will increase
students’ understanding of the day-to-day impact they have on the
environment while using technology to make the assignment more
interactive. The students are using cell phones equipped with Global
Positioning System tracking technology to measure a number of factors
that affect the environment, including the distances they travel,
methods of transportation and even exposure to fast food restaurants,
according to Wenning. “The system tracks speed and analyzes bus routes
to determine students’ method of transportation. It uses this
information to gauge their carbon dioxide emissions.”
The San Francisco-based Go Green Foundation is organizing the project
in public and private high schools in the city. Participants have been
loaned a Nokia N95 cell phone with wireless service courtesy of
AT&T Inc. The students’ information will generate a Personal
Environmental Impact Report (www.peir.cens.ucla.edu), using a tool
designed by the University of California - Los Angeles researchers.
Students can also use the PEIR Facebook application (www.facebook.com)
to track their progress.
Students appreciated the extra credit opportunity for interactive
learning. “I volunteered to do this project so that I can learn about
the effects I have on the environment and know what I can do to reduce
my carbon footprint,” freshman biology student Will Simons said. “It’s
also a great chance to try out new technology.”
Wenning inquired about the program after hearing that students at the
Urban School of San Francisco were participating in the project. “If
students are able to see how much carbon they produce, they’ll become
more aware of the impact they have on the environment,” he said.
The students began tracking their carbon footprints in early May and are finishing the project today.
Wenning hopes to extend the project to more students in the school.
“Next year, we plan to expand the project to track students’ methods of
transportation using an honor system instead of cell phones,” Wenning
said. “I’m hoping at least half the school will be able to participate
if we use such a system.”
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