HUMANS VS NATURE

Fall 2016

Physics, Environmental Science & Humanities

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Check out student work below!

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Student Produced Project Video "Garbage Patch Kids" 

All living things transform their environment to fit their needs but none as extensively as humans. Students will explore the relationship between humans and nature, act as citizen scientists and consider the local and global implications of anthropogenic impacts stemming from human activity. 

Students will conduct a feasibility study of a citizen scientist microplastic removal and research system for San Diego Coast Keeper. Through this they will collect data on what microplastics are in San Diego as well as identify partners globally to try the removal system, known as BabyLegs! We will conduct beach clean-ups then submit trash collection data and assess the natural and built environment of our collection site in Point Loma along San Diego Bay.  This will include making a Trashy Tail poster about something they found (left) and a cartoon about an issue with the natural or built environment stemming from human activity (left). We will produce short movies about how to make BabyLegs and our experience with them. Finally, each student will research a local issue with global implications and produce a children's book to share with a local elementary school.  The book and movie will be published electronically. 

Our essential questions for this project are:

• What are human impacts on the environment in San Diego, why are they occurring and what activities and actions of our own contribute to these impacts?

• When do we work "with" nature and when do we work against it, what happens?!

• What resources do we want and need to maintain quality of life here and are we acting in the best interest of sustaining them? If we do not change our actions, can we afford to live with the changes?

• Are we at a tipping point?

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