Step 6: Share It!
The final step in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge asks students to share their newfound knowledge with others who want to make their communities a better place to live. Just as students learned from the work of other scientists in Step 1, this step asks them to become a resource for those who can learn from their experience.
In this step, students will be asked to summarize their problem, the solution they proposed to impact it, and how they implemented and tested their solution. They will also share the time and resources that the process required, what they learned along the way and what they would recommend doing differently.
Suggested Timeline:
Two to three days
Step 6 Checklist:
Does your summary include:
- A description of your community, i.e., is it urban, rural or suburban, what is the population and size?
- A summary of the problem and solution?
- How the solution was implemented and tested?
- How much time the process took?
- What materials, resources and costs were required?
- How the plan was adjusted, if appropriate?
- What you would recommend doing differently?
Sample Replication Summaries:
- Check around your local area. Your farms may be producing runoff that is affecting streams, the ocean and the planet. See if there are ditches and streams that are receiving water from fields that have fertilizer or animal waste. If you want to try this kind of project, we would recommend that you check with your local Department of Natural Resources to see what kind of planting they recommend. It is also important to get the permission of the person who owns the land and to be sure they agree with how you are planting the trees and shrubs. Be sure to get lots of friends together because planting is lots of work! Also, don’t forget gloves. We learned that the hard way. (Reducing Runoff in the Environment)
- As we went through the process, we discovered a number of things to keep in mind if you try this type of mercury collection. First, we found that our local home supply businesses liked the idea and were big supporters of the change. They offered to help advertise and paid some of the funding toward printing a brochure. They also offered a discount on new thermostats and switches to replace those that were turned in. In order to keep track, we had to be sure we provided a signed card that then could be taken to the supply store so that people who turned in the switches and thermostats and thermometers could get the discount. (Reducing Mercury Poisoning)
- One thing we learned from this project is that many students do not want to walk a mile to school. We had thought that we would reduce the carbon emissions by at least twenty metric tons per year. This is because we thought that everyone living within a mile of the school would choose to walk. That was not so. We would recommend that others try this project, but you should know that some people just do not want to walk! (Take a Hike!)
Resources:
