Module 2

Students will be able to:

• Define various chemical and physical measurements of water quality.
• Speculate how water quality will vary with changing natural and anthropogenic conditions, both spatially and temporally.
• Plan a water-quality research project and collect pilot data.

For each of these wikis, schools in India were paired with schools in Kentucky, USA. A best effort was made to pair similar schools between the two countries. Students in each school are strongly encouraged to give feedback and ask questions about their paired school’s wiki projects.

Wiki guidelines: First and foremost, be creative and have fun! Wiki projects should be completed by established teams with each team sharing their creation. Here are some suggested formats for the wikis: video (3-5 minutes), pamphlet (front & back, include images), written report (~2 pages, include images), podcast (3-5 minutes), newspaper or magazine article (~1 page, include image), PowerPoint presentation (~5 slides), poster, etc.

Each team has received a water testing kit and conductivity probe. Examine the kit and the probe and determine the water parameters you can test or measure with them. What information can these parameters provide about water quality? To answer this question, it may be helpful to refer back to the video and/or PowerPoint under the introduction for this module. In module 1, you selected a water body to study throughout ALL three modules. For your chosen water body, hypothesize about its current water quality and its potential for variability. In other words, what do you think the current water quality is and why? How do you think this current water quality may change over time (hours, days, months, years, etc.)? Formulate a hypothesis regarding the water quality of your chosen water body considering all the aforementioned questions. Remember, a hypothesis is a statement and not a question. Next, devise a sampling plan to test your hypothesis. It's time for the fun: start collecting your data! Do your data support your hypothesis? Why or why not?

Create a wiki sharing what you are discovering regarding the water quality of your chosen water body. Be sure to identify your water body, state your hypothesis, discuss the data you're collecting and whether or not they support your hypothesis. Lastly, what does all this indicate about your water body?

"Safety First, Safety Always!"

(1) Precautions should be taken when sampling water that may be contaminated. Wear disposable plastic or rubber gloves, and wash hands thoroughly with soap and/or disinfectant after handling samples. People with open wounds should not handle samples.

(2) Water that is grossly polluted (i.e., raw sewage or industrial effluent) should be avoided.

Note: The data collected as part of this wiki can serve as preliminary data for your research proposal and be incorporated into your final research product. Also, if problems arise with the water body you chose in module 1, you may switch to a different water body at this time. Please be aware that after the completion of this wiki, the selected water body should NOT be changed.

Wiki Project Examples

This activity will help us learn how to organize and analyze data related to water quality parameters and consider why they vary. Please find below two documents, one for India and one for Kentucky. Open the appropriate document (India for students in India and Kentucky for students in Kentucky), follow the directions for the data sets, and answer the corresponding questions.

The summary project is to create your research proposal and it should be completed in established teams. As with the summary project for module 1, this summary project should call upon and pull together concepts that you learned while completing the wiki project within this module. Reflect on the water body you chose to study; in the summary project for module 1 you explained its cultural and scientific significance and discussed its relevance to your community. Let's continue to build your knowledge of your chosen water body by considering the following: What is the current water quality of your chosen water body? Did you use any existing data to describe the quality? If so, where did you find the data? Do the data indicate anything? For example, has the water quality changed over time? How was or is the water in your chosen water body being used? Has this changed over time? Now, let's consider your research: What is your research question? Do you have any pilot data to present from wiki 1 of this module that may help answer your research question? What data need to be collected to answer your question? What methods will you employ to collect your data? What are your anticipated results of your research? In other words, what is the answer to your research question?

An important note: The research proposal will be evaluated by and feedback given from water professionals using the rubric provided below. The research proposals will be reviewed on the basis of the all the rubric criteria, except the Conclusion criterion. Consideration will be given to the Results criterion, as the research proposal is based upon anticipated results.

Research Proposal Examples