An innovative approach to teaching high school students about indoor air quality

Since 1988, the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program at Oregon State University (OSU) has provided science and math enr ichment to over 2,400 precollege and low-income school children in Oregon. in 1996, OSU received a four-year grant from the National Institute of Envi ronmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to improve teachers', students', and comm unity members' understanding of environmental health science issues. This e ffort represents a collaboration Of science educators from the SMILE progra m, environmental health scientists from OSU's Department of Public Health, and the OSU Environmental Health Sciences Center. Each year, a different en vironmental health science topic is highlighted, Topics have included house hold chemicals, water quality, indoor air quality,and food safety. The them e for the 1997-1998 school year was indoor air quality. Year-long education al activities associated with the NIEHS grant are curriculum development, t eacher training workshops, and a variety of hands-on, after-school exercise s for elementary, middle, and high school students. This paper describes an innovative approach used to help high school students develop critical thi nking and real-world problem-solving Skills while learning about indoor air quality.