Train
Chemical Spill
by
Wade Green and Joe Michnick
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Introduction Project Description: The
students will be given the scenario that a freight train has derailed and
caused a massive chemical spill. They
will work in small cooperative groups to develop an action plan to minimize
loss of life and property and then devise a way to return the environment to
its original state. As these goals
will require an understanding of the possible chemical reactions, the
environmental impacts, and remediation techniques, the project will proceed
in four phases: the issues, the chemistry, the broader context, and the
development of the plan. After
the project is introduced, the students will be given a presentation by the
local fire department on the approach taken by first responders to a
spill. This will help put the project
in context and reinforce the applicability of chemistry to something
tangible. This presentation will also
highlight issues that the students might be unfamiliar with such as
protection of aquifer, the importance of prevailing winds, and the need to
understand the topography of the area.
In this introductory section, we will also cover safety and finding
information on a Material Safety Data Sheet. Once
the students have a better appreciation of the issues they face, a series of
benchmark lessons and lab activities will provide the necessary understanding
of chemical reactions. Lessons will
include dimensional analysis applied to large scales, reaction types, and
stoichiometry. Lessons on acid-base reactions and neutralization will
constitute a major portion of this section due to its central role in
understanding general chemistry. With
the basics of chemistry covered, the students will learn how to apply this
knowledge in the context of biological effects from exposure to chemicals and
how chemicals affect the environment.
During this section, LCRA aquifer experts will give a presentation on
aquifers and recharge zones. The
students will research the effects of toxins on biological systems. Finally,
the students will put the pieces together and develop their action plan.
Professionals from local environmental engineering companies will provide
expertise and advice as the students plan for neutralization and
clean-up. The final product to be
delivered by the student teams is a PowerPoint presentation and poster
detailing their plan for containment, evacuation, and remediation of the
spill area with justifications for their choices and a budget. Driving Question: A train
carrying multiple hazardous chemicals has just derailed in Overall Goal: To allow
students to have an applicable hands on experience dealing with chemistry,
and allow them to work cooperatively and build team working skills Project Objectives: Students will be able to:
Rationale: Traditional
Chemistry courses are often seen by students as disconnected from the world
outside the laboratory. They tend to
see the topics presented as distinct modules which have little or no
application beyond the next lab or test.
Further, because students are so focused on mastering the procedure or
principle at hand, they fail to see how this knowledge could be applied to
solve a problem. Science presented in
this way is uninteresting and unapproachable to many students who might
otherwise be tempted to study further. Our
project based around a massive spill of multiple chemicals takes Chemistry
out of the world of theory and cookbook labs and gives the students a
tangible, real-world situation requiring them to apply what they have
learned. By working with professionals
on initial response and then recovery plans, they will see how an
understanding of chemistry can solve a problem. Among the few students who are hooked by
chemistry are usually the ones who see how chemistry is interwoven into all
of the scientific disciplines. This
project asks students to use their knowledge of chemistry, but also requires
them to understand how it applies to biology and geology. Finally, the chemical spill project will
help students gain confidence in their understanding of chemistry. Too often, labs and instructional units are
presented in such a way that the student is provided the reaction to expect
and is only asked to apply the correct techniques for a narrowly defined
situation. In the case of this
project, the students will be given far less direction and expected to
consider multiple outcomes and possible reactions. Background: Our projects
main focus is on a train crash which leads to a chemical spill. The aspects of the chemical spill that will
be focused on the most will the potential hazards created by the cargo
carried. In order to determine the
possible threats a teacher will need to be knowledgeable with stoichiometry,
acid-base, types of reactions, activity series, solubility, hydrogeology, and
emergency response plans. Teachers can
develop the manifest of the cargo on their own to allow for different
chemical interactions. The
Hydrogeology aspect can be an extension of the project, in which the students
would determine the threats on a more residential level, and how the spill
would affect ground water flow. Being
that the spill would not be contained immediately; the students would need to
put into a plan on how to solve the problem, and how far it would reach. Using this website www.epa.gov/seahome/groundwater/src/geo.htm,
you can access the knowledge necessary to understand how the spill will
interact with the environment and move into the groundwater. I would specifically look into the key
concepts, groundwater, and aquifers. A program may
be used to simulate the interaction of the chemicals in the classroom. This can be downloaded following this link http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/. You can also look in the resources section
for more useful links. Standards Addressed:
Assessment: The key to an evaluation plan is
for the students to know what is expected of them and the easiest way to
transmit that expectation is through a rubric. With a rubric students can see exactly what
they are being graded for and how they can earn the grade that they are
looking for. The culmination of the
project will be a power point presentation on how the students plan to take
action after the train chemical spill.
In order to keep the students on task and so they do not fell that it
is impossible to complete such a long project, several deadlines will be laid
out over the entire course of the project.
The success of the project will be measure by the students meeting the
assigned deadlines; also students will critique each other on their
performances, as well as the quality of their final presentation. Attached is a copy of the rubric that will
be given to the students will receive at the beginning of the project.
This rubric should be used for
your assessment of your teammates’ performance. Each group member will
complete forms for each other group member. Name of group member being
assessed _______________________________
COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS: How can your group’s performance be improved? |
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