Engineering Solutions for Air Pollution: STEM Activity
Air pollution is a major problem facing our world today.
In Australia, air pollution is the third-largest contributor to climate change in the country. It comes from many different sources, including cars, factories, and power plants.
It can cause a lot of health problems, including asthma, cancer, and heart disease.
According to the IQ Air index, Australia sits at number 95 for levels of air pollution globally.
Believe it or not… companies have even bottled Australian air and sold it to international markets!
Scientists in Australia have been working on the problem of air pollution for some time now.
They have been trying to find ways to reduce the amount of air pollution that is released into the environment.
One way that they have been trying to do this is by developing new technology that will help to clean the air.
A notable scientist in Australia who’s working on the issue of air pollution is Professor Tim Flannery. Professor Flannery is a climate change expert who has written several books about the topic. He is also the head of the Climate Council, an organization that provides information about climate change to the public.
To help children learn more about air pollution and engage in practice-based learning at home, the team at Primary + STEM have found an activity called Engineering Solutions: Air Pollution.
The activity comes from our curated selection of STEM resources, which are all mapped to the Victorian curriculum.
An activity to do at home
The activity Engineering Solutions: Air Pollution was developed by The James Dyson Foundation.
If the name sounds a little familiar to you, it might be because Dyson has created some of the best-looking vacuum cleaners in the world (and perhaps the most expensive hair dryer money can buy!).
The company has leveraged its design heritage and expanded into a global technology enterprise, which includes The James Dyson Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to ‘inspire the next generation of design engineers’.
The Engineering Solutions: Air Pollution activity comprises a free downloadable booklet that parents and children could work through at home, or teachers could use in the classroom.
The booklet contains five lessons, wherein you can explore the topic of air pollution and current solutions.
Children are invited to complete experiments and analyse data. They will also get to build their own solutions and learn about design processes.
The activity is ideally completed by students in grades 5 and/or 6.
Information for teachers
Engineering Solutions: Air Pollution is an engineering resource for teachers, which focuses on the real-world problem of addressing air pollution. Students will conduct experiments and analyse data.
This activity has been mapped to the Victorian curriculum:
- Learning area: F-10: Design and Technologies
- Curriculum code: Design & Technologies > Levels 5 and 6 > Technologies and Society > VCDSTC033
- Level: Grade 5,6
Suggestions for other activities to help explore the topic of air pollution
There are many things that you can do to stimulate curiosity for learning more about air pollution and encourage STEM engagement. Here are three suggestions:
1. Visit a website or blog that is dedicated to the topic of air pollution. There are many websites and blogs out there that provide information about air pollution, its causes, and ways to reduce it.
2. Watch a documentary or movie about air pollution / the environment. There are many documentaries and movies out there that discuss air pollution and its effects on the environment and human health. A list of environmentally focused films can be found here.
3. Read a book about air pollution and discuss air pollution and its effects on the environment and human health.
Image credit
Photo by Sirirak Boonruangjak from Pexels