Document Type

Article

Abstract

Public communication of scientific findings is an important, but often neglected, part of creating solutions to environmental issues facing our communities. To address this gap, students from the ENVI 110: Introduction to Environmental Sciences class worked in small groups to design education stations to be placed around the city of Terre Haute to inform the public about topics in environmental sciences with relevance to local residents. Themes identified by ENVI 110 students for development into interpretive installations include, but are not limited to, food waste, identification of native and invasive plant and animal species, wastewater treatment, conventional and organic farming practices, littering, and the creation of pollinator gardens. Student contributions for this project include designs for physical interpretive installations with supplemental online materials to provide visitors with a more holistic understanding of the issue the installation is addressing. In this first semester of projects, students focused on broad topics within environmental sciences to provide contextualization for future Climate Ready Terre Haute strategy implementation and to identify topics of interest to local community members. Contributions for this first semester also include a scaffolded plan for creating future education stations. Each component of the design process represented an individual assignment for student groups, and can be utilized as milestones for GANTT charts or other organizational structures in planning additional installations.

Publication Date

Fall 12-1-2025

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