Final Project Reflection

For my community outreach, I went to Clarke Central High School and assisted them in a soil sample experiment. We completed the experiment ourselves in class before going to the high school. First we collected soil samples from around Athens. My group’s sample was from the lawn of the DPhiE sorority house on Milledge Avenue. We diluted the soil samples and then transferred the solution to Petri plates with and without tetracycline. The petri dishes were incubated for 72 hours before being taken out for counting. We recorded the number of bacterial colonies to calculate the frequency of tetracycline resistance in the soil samples. The data was then recorded on the PARE national database.

We learned about the prevalence of anti-bacterial resistance through power-points and videos Dr. Brickman showed us in class. Through this project, we were able to actually see bacteria resisting the tetracycline and continue to grow even at high levels of anti-bacteria on the plate. It was interesting to go to the school and help the high schoolers complete their experiment because I realized I was much more knowledgable about anti-bacterial resistance than I thought. Their samples also looked very similar to ours which confirmed our discoveries.

Dr. Brickman’s presentations were intellectually stimulating, relevant to the audience, and creative because she connected the problems of antibacterial resistance to how it would affect our lives in the future. I personally was not able to really incorporate those characteristics into the high school visit because I had trouble finding the room. I ended up coming to the room after all the introductions happened and only aided the students in counting and uploading their data.

I learned how important it is to confirm a plan ahead of time. I was sick the class before we went to Clarke Central and I drove to the school completely unaware about where I was supposed to go. I got lost in the huge school and made it to the classroom very very late. The high schoolers were very nice and more interested in the experiment than I was anticipating. They were receptive to our presence and made conversation while doing the experiment. While I showed them how to use markers to help count their bacteria colonies and helped them submit the data into the excel spreadsheet and online, they asked questions about what college was like and advice I had about applying. I think I was more casual with them than I would have been in a more formal group of people.

The only thing I would do differently is email Dr. Brickman ahead of time so I would not have to spend 30 minutes roaming the school trying to find the classroom the group was in. I would have learned more about the presentation process if I had been there from the beginning. I did not plan out any of my speech, yet I was still able to do my job and help the high schoolers complete their experiment. In the future, I would prepare more so I could come across better.

Infographic- Why Should We Compost?

WHAT: This infographic is intellectually stimulating in the way that it presents the benefits of composting. For me, the information about how composted soil retains water better made me think about how we could use compost to aid agricultural regions- such as California- that are experiencing drought. I had not thought about benefits of composting past adding fertile nutrition to soil and reduction of waste so this new benefit was intriguing and stimulating. It took the facts and spun it in a creative way that was relatable to its audience. It put the amount of waste created by American cities in terms of the weight of the Statue of Liberty. This effectively makes the audience think “oh WOW really?” and become more open to what the infographic is saying.
GUT: I was surprised by many of the facts about household waste in America. We are truly ruining the environment at a horrifyingly quick pace.
SO WHAT: I had never thought about how composting might make the soil able to retain water better and how less watering accompanied with lower fertilization costs could reduce agricultural costs. This would give motivation for farmers to actively compost. The author of the infographic was definitely trying to inspire people to compost by showing them the amount of waste Americans create and how this waste could create positive effects if composted.
NOW WHAT: I think our infographic should also include shocking facts put in a relatable way (i.e. no percents that can often be conceptual to the average person. Instead, it should take the data and put it in terms of something people can easily call to mind.) However, this infographic does not properly show the negative effects that result from food rotting in landfills. This information is vital to understanding why composting is necessary rather than just something that would be nice if it happened. Our infographic should show how much waste Americans create, how terrible rotting food waste is for the environment, and then show composting as a necessary step in order to slow down the rate of global warming.

UGArden Reflection

This picture is of a rusted compost sifter that was recently donated to the UGArden.
The thing I noticed the most about this compost sifter was how worn down it was. While our guide assured us it was in good working condition and shared his excitement to finally have a sifter at the UGArden, his jealousy at the equipment the University had for their mass composting system was extremely apparent. He compared each aspect of their composting system to the University’s and wished that the UGArden had that much funding and was able to work as efficiently.
When I look at this picture, I feel sad that the UGArden does not get the funding and new equipment that it deserves. The garden works very hard to utilize natural techniques to create large healthy crops without fertilizers and GMOs and they should be provided with equipment that aids them in reaching their goal.
I think when anyone looked at this picture, they would immediately recognize it as some sort of farming equipment. I do not think they would be able to know the object’s function until someone told them what it was, but it clearly appears to have been around for a long time.
I think this picture shows how complicated it is to properly compost. In order to create nutrient-rich soil from organic garbage, one must be careful of the material placed in the mix- the carbon vs nitrogen balance must be correct- the temperature of the pile must be high enough, the area must not be too dry or too wet, and there must be a consistent and meticulous stirring and sifting of the material. Most of all though, the process takes time. Just as the sifter rusts over time, the garbage will eventually change and produce something new- a nutrient rich soil that can replace environment damaging fertilizers.

Vivian Lee-Boulton Self Portrait

I attended a liberal arts magnet high school that focused on social studies and English and was rather lacking in good science teachers. I took Biology my freshman year. The teacher was very sweet and I did well in it, but I learned very little and remember even less. However in comparison to the next three years of science, that course might have been my favorite science class from high school. Sophomore year I was stuck with a moody soccer coach for chemistry. My AP Physics teacher my junior year was a talented physicist, but had no idea how to teach to anyone without prior knowledge of several years worth of calculus and physics. Senior year I gave up and took Forensics, a joke class, so that I would get my last science credit and graduate, yet I still ended up with a disaster of a teacher.

I am very interested in the outreach portion of this course. As a public relations major, it is important to me to learn the best way to present information to the general public.

I am most interested in the composting portion of the class. My mom has her own garden and compost, but I have never taken the time to learn more about the actual process of how compost is made. I would love to learn more about the process of turning food waste into nutrient-rich soil.

I think that fellow students would be most interested in the reversing climate change portion of these issues. We are all young adults hoping to still have a healthy world to grow old in, and we want to better our environment.

Working with kids in high school could help teach us how to approach these issues in a way that engages younger generations and ensures that people in the future continue to make an effort to improve the environment.