Teaching environmental health in graduate programs can be more than just a text book/ journal experience. By partnering with activists groups that specialize in eliminating health disparities caused by environmental factors, students apply skills learned in the classroom to "real life" situations. In this case study, the end product from a semester went beyond a traditional graduate class assignment and became a model for a national environmental group for the new Source Water Assessment Program. Part-time graduate students from a health education program were challenged to survey a drinking water source area in Montgomery County, PA. Three sites were chosen for investigation and students were dispatched into teams of 2 to 4 students. Subjects addressed in the study included legislation and regulations affecting drinking water quality, known and suspected health effects from drinking water contamination, existing sources of information to review known and potential point and non-point sources of contamination to drinking water supplies, and designed/ pilot tested a community survey about water. Students examined this information through on-site assessments and Internet databases from EPA, NPDES, GIS, and the local water departments. The activist group participated in a supervisor and resource capacity, and ultimately using the student-developed project as the model for a manual on performing drinking water assessments. The collaborative experience between academia, activism, and community proved very positive for both students and the activist group. Linking these different groups together produced a product that went beyond the classroom to assist other community groups.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, individuals will be able to: - describe the process of linking this academic exercise to community organization - describe how the students developed the model for source water assessment plan
Keywords: Drinking Water Quality, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Clean Water Action
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.