PSU-LV学生(左至右)Manmehar Singh, 加布里埃尔罗马 and Musab Siddiqui were part of the group of 20 Penn State students participating in the CHANCE Greece program this summer. 学生们 spent nearly one month studying the effects of microplastics pollution on the Aegean Sea. 杰奎琳·麦克劳克林(左二), PSU-LV的CHANCE主任兼生物学教授, 和凯瑟琳·费迪根一起领导了实地工作, 机会的老师.
宾州中央谷. — The Aegean Sea served as both a classroom and biology lab for a group of 20 students from all over the United States studying the environmental impact of microplastics this past summer. 学生们, 其中包括十大网赌靠谱网址平台的5名学生和雅典大学的15名学生, traveled to Greece as part of the Connecting Humans and Nature through Conservation Experiences (CHANCE) program, an accredited interdisciplinary environmental education program whose overarching goal is to teach conservation biology and global sustainability at the front line. 学生们花了将近一个月的时间学习, 收集数据和测试水样, 追踪濒危海龟, 海豚和鲸鱼, 探索古代遗迹.
实地工作是在杰奎琳·麦克劳克林的指导下进行的, professor of biology at 十大网赌靠谱网址平台 (PSU-LV) and founding director of the CHANCE program, 和凯瑟琳·费迪根, 机会的老师.
“我们为学生设计了一个非常独特的课程，结合了研究基础, STEM教育的最佳实践, 比如基于项目的学习和探究, which allowed for students’ to pursue topics that related to their personal and professional interests. 学生们亲身体验了科学的过程, 这在传统的课堂环境中是不可能的,费迪根说.
学生们 worked in groups to devise feasible solutions to the problem of marine microplastic pollution.
“世界上的海洋充满了塑料污染, 但事实是, 地中海因其半封闭的性质而被认为是一个热点, 人口稠密的海岸线, 旅游活动频繁, 钓鱼, 航运, 不可持续的消费, 以及许多国家无效的废物管理做法,麦克劳克林说. “希腊本身就有很多垃圾管理问题，包括膨胀, open-top landfills; a recycling rate lower than the European average; illegal landfills; lack of infrastructure and enforcement, 公众意识. 大多数塑料最终都进入了海洋. 不幸的是, it has become so prevalent that biodiversity in each and every marine food chain of this incredible aquatic ecosystem is suffering; but, by experiencing these realities students witness and come to understand the urgency to deal with these issues. 这就是CHANCE项目的特别之处.”
·穆萨布·Siddiqi, 生物学专业大三学生, said he felt that the experience he’d gain through the CHANCE program would help prepare him for medical school. 在上了麦克劳克林的两节生物课后，我“喜欢”了她的教学风格, 他决定申请.
“她非常关心她的学生，并敦促每个人都尽最大努力. (她的课)很有挑战性, 但我很高兴, 因为我要读医学预科，课程会很有挑战性,他说. “有了机会项目, I was intrigued because I’ve always wanted to visit Greece; and the premise of it — studying the impact of microplastics pollution — well that’s something I wanted to work on and possibly make a positive impact on the world. 去希腊是我做过的最好的决定之一.”
为了更好地了解微塑料污染对环境的全面影响, the students had discussions with management industry professionals and the group conducted site visits to get a broader picture of microplastic realities in Greece. 学生们 visited water treatment facilities and waste facilities to show how these pollutants get into the water supply and, 最终, 他们是如何遁入自然的. 西迪奇说，这让他看清了这些杂质的去向.
“这是我们日常生活的一部分，但我们并没有真正考虑这些事情，”他说. “We witnessed how much work goes into treating the water supply; collecting, 排序, 处理, and recycling trash; and how these processes could be more efficient.”
学生们 also heard from several non-governmental organizations (NGO) representatives who shared their stories and discussed the environmental impact of their work.
加布里埃尔罗马, 贵格镇生物专业二年级学生, was intrigued by the idea of blending his love for biology with studying abroad in Greece, 一个他一直想去的国家. 他说，他没有失望.
“CHANCE Greece达到并超出了我的预期. 我们所做的微塑料研究非常有趣，”他补充道. "It was cool to learn about conservation and meet people from organizations who are so passionate about it."
Working with the NGO, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Roman said, was phenomenal.
“We lived on their research vessels for three days and visited select islands in the Aegean Sea, 他们有很多技术. We were able to cast trawl nets to pick up samples of plankton then analyze each of these samples under microscopes for microplastic content. 我没想到会这样，”他说.
Doing real science to devise solutions to a prevailing scientific question is at the heart of the CHANCE program. 学生们参加了格列法达的海滩清理活动, 雅典的郊区, 然后分类, quantitated and deciphered the source of each trash item they collected while working under the direction of Domenico Vito, a research colleague of McLaughlin’s from San Diego State University and stationed in Italy. Vito经营着Trash2Treasure, 一个全球公民科学项目, 亲自来到希腊和学生们一起工作.
“学生们 were so devastated by the amount of trash on this beach that they collectively came up with solutions to clean it up then decided to write a letter to the Greek authorities in this municipality to share their ideas,麦克劳克林说. “这门课程是关于采取行动的.”
索非亚Sarracino, 他是大学公园校区地球科学专业的大三学生, 起草了给格列法尔达市议员的信. Sarracino said one of her biggest takeaways was the importance of community involvement around conservation and sustainability, i.e., individuals can accomplish a great deal by working together, with or without government support. She didn’t grasp the full extent of the plastic pollution issue in Greece until she participated in the CHANCE program, 她说.
“I didn’t realize it’s such a problem in Greece because they are part of the United Nations, 我以为他们在为国内的可持续发展目标而努力. There are not many waste management systems available that can handle all the waste Greece produces,”她说。.
很快, Sarracino, McLaughlin and Vito will be meeting virtually with several of the Greek authorities in the Glyfada municipality, as the city leaders positively responded to Sarracino’s letter and have agreed to take recommended steps to reduce trash in this area.
“我们正在教育并赋予学生解决问题的能力，”麦克劳克林说. “通过与我们优秀的合作伙伴在现实世界中进行体验式学习, 它们揭示了强加在这一基本环境上的人为压力. 随着时间的推移, 他们(学生)逐渐意识到他们能做什么, 无论他们在我们的全球社会中占据什么样的位置, play a part in their lifetimes to reduce these pressures and help sustain our world’s biodiversity and ecosystems.”
此外，CHANCE创造了不易被遗忘的体验，McLaughlin补充道.
“对经验的反思是非常强大的，”她说. CHANCE播下了将学生转变为受过教育的环保倡导者的种子.”
