Indoor/Ambient Residential Air Toxics Results in Rural Western Montana

Indoor and ambient concentrations of 21 Volatile Organic Compounds (including 14 Hazardous Air Pollutants) were measured in the homes of nearly 80 western Montana (Missoula) high school students as part of the ‘Air Toxics Under the Big Sky’ program during the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 school years. Target analytes were measured using low flow air sampling pumps and sorbent tubes, with analysis of the exposed samples by Thermal Desorption/Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (TD/GC/MS). The results reported here present the findings of the first indoor/ambient air toxics monitoring program conducted in a semi-rural valley location located in the Northern Rocky Mountain/western Montana region. Of all of the air toxics quantified in this study, toluene was found to be the most abundant compound in both the indoor and ambient environments during each of the two school years. Indoor log-transformed mean concentrations were found to be higher when compared with ambient log-transformed mean concentrations at P \u3c 0.001 for the majority of the compounds, supporting the results of previous studies conducted in urban areas. For the air toxics consistently measured throughout this program, concentrations were approximately six times higher inside the student’s homes compared to those simultaneously measured directly outside their homes. For the majority of the compounds, there were no significant correlations between indoor and ambient concentrations

Evolution of the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky Program

As a yearlong exploration of air quality and its relation to respiratory health, the “Air Toxics Under the Big Sky” program offers opportunities for students to learn and apply science process skills through self-designed inquiry-based research projects conducted within their communities. The program follows a systematic scope and sequence designed to first lay a strong foundation, followed by activities intended to expand understanding, and ending with a final step aimed at achieving retention of content and principles learned. The foundation consists of content regarding environmental health sciences and human health. The next level guides students during their independent study projects as they test their hypotheses, analyze results, and draw conclusions. The final step requires these junior researchers to share their findings with others in some type of culminating event, with the most prominent being a high school symposium held at the conclusion of the school year. This article describes the evolution of the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program since its inception in 2003

The Big Sky Model: A Regional Collaboration for Participatory Research on Environmental Health in the Rural West

As an innovative community-based framework for science learning, the Big Sky Model is guiding high school and tribal college students from rural areas of Montana and Idaho in their understanding of chemical, physical, and environmental health concepts in the context of their own homes, schools, and communities. Students participate in classroom lessons and continue with systematic inquiry through actual field research to investigate a pressing, real-world issue: understanding the complex links between poor air quality and respiratory health outcomes. This article provides background information, outlines the procedure for implementing the model, and discusses its effectiveness as demonstrated through various evaluation tools

Air Toxics Under The Big Sky – A High School Science Teaching Tool

A project has been developed between Big Sky High School and The University of Montana (UM) which has brought together high school students and teachers, university scientists, and county environmental health officials in a multilayered research experience focusing on the collection and analysis of specific air toxics, and investigating their relationship to respiratory diseases. The Air Toxics Under the Big Sky project allows students to benefit from an independent experience linking science, research, and local environmental issues. We see this as a long term project which will be built upon and expanded by future students during each new school year and as new schools are added. This project will foster a long-term scientific collaboration between UM and Montana high schools, and establishes high school students as valuable contributors to the scientific community while educating them about environmental issues

The Power of the Symposium: Impacts from Students\u27 Perspectives

The Air Toxics under the Big Sky program developed at the University of Montana is a regional outreach and education initiative that offers a yearlong exploration of air quality and its relation to respiratory health. The program was designed to connect university staff and resources with rural schools enabling students to learn and apply science process skills through self-designed research projects conducted within their communities. As part of the program, students develop and conduct independent projects, then share their findings at the conclusion of the school year in some type of interactive capstone experience, the most prominent being a high school symposium held at The University of Montana campus. Student feedback collected through a carefully controlled evaluation program suggest that the annual symposium as the culminating event is a critical component of the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program, and a valuable learning experience as many of the students go on to post-secondary education. AcknowledgmentsThe authors wish to thank all the students who have participated in the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky Program, with our special gratitude toward the many dedicated teachers who have made its implementation so successful and rewarding. Funding for this project was provided by the Toyota USA Foundation and by a Science Education Partnership Award, Grant Number R25 RR020432, from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. The contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the officials views of our funding sponsors