Suffolk County Community College is one of six (6) institutions in New York working with the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement (NCSCE) who received special funding the Helmsley Charitable Trust to promote STEM student success through civic engagement.  The Suffolk project focuses on water quality, a critical citizen science issue on Long Island (NY). Students enrolled in courses from four (4) different disciplines - chemistry, journalism, engineering science, and construction technology- are exploring this issue as a common theme and are identifying and proposing solutions to the problem of water quality degradation, mainly due to Nitrogen loading. This topic is of particular interest since Long Island’s drinking water is drawn from a sole-source aquifer and the primary means of waste disposal is through individual cesspools/septic tanks, particularly in Suffolk County, the easternmost county on Long Island.<br/> An important component of the project is to use the Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER) approach to teaching and learning. The SENCER approach features the teaching of course content through the lens of student identified issues and proposed solutions. The societal effects of the implementation of proposed solutions are also considered.  We have created an interdisciplinary Blackboard site to complement the coursework and provide a central communication link for students and professors to share resources, research and insights. In addition to the professors involved, a Chemistry post doc with experience studying water quality issues, experts in local groundwater, politicians and community leaders will lead online discussions.  These discussions will include an examination of a new septic system currently being piloted in Suffolk County which reduces Nitrogen loading.  Students will synthesize scientific information, along with economic, societal and renewable energy implications to arrive at a recommendation. This recommendation will be disseminated to the community at large.<br/> This presentation will highlight lessons learned from this Citizen Science project including teaching strategies for courses linked via an interdisciplinary Blackboard site, insights from student dialogue and assessments of all stakeholders.<br/>

Impact of septic systems on Long Island’s aquifer

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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