2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Experiential Virtual Learning on the impacts of Covid-19 on Air Quality through Integration of Research in STEM Education

Presented at Environmental Engineering Division (ENVIRON) Technical Session 1

Poor air quality can be detrimental to human health, by causing or exacerbating health conditions. Sensitive groups such as children and the elderly with underlying conditions are at an increased risk for adverse health effects due to poor air quality. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, there is an observed change in air quality due to government restrictions and lockdown from 2020-2022 in many of the populated cities of the world. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore students (UMES) students in 3 undergrad courses (Introduction to Environmental Sciences; Biology for Honors students; and Ecology) and 1 graduate course (Teaching STEM at K-12 schools), and summer-exchange undergraduate engineering and high school interns had the opportunity to research the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on air quality for selected overpopulated cities in the world. The data collected were from March 2020 through summer of 2022. The objectives of integrating this research in STEM education are: a) to find a correlation among air quality parameters because of Covid-19; b) to analyze the effects of the pandemic on CO, NO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 in some of the selected populated cities (Kolkata, Milan, Los Angeles, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Sydney); c) to hone content knowledge in environmental science, chemistry, physics, and statistics; and d) to enhance data analytical skills, problem solving skills, as well as presenting research. By analyzing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on air quality, the scope for environmental restoration is addressed as more information is disseminated on what contributes to air quality, and how humans can manipulate it. In each of the courses mentioned above, two modules were dedicated to this topic. The first module introduced the topic and background information and the second one required relevant data analysis and presentations. Since the Environmental Science class had over 40 students, the students were broken down into groups for this activity. Various relevant governmental websites were used to gain background knowledge about the satellites and sensors. The data were collected from the Air Quality Open Data Platform https://aqicn.org/data-platform/Covid19 Worldwide Covid-19 dataset. The engineering and the high school interns continued with this work during the summer. Because of this approach, there was a continuous collection and analyses of data for this project. Efforts are underway to include this topic in the Engineering Statistics course in Spring 2023/Fall 2023. By analyzing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on air quality, the scope for environmental restoration is addressed as more information is disseminated on what contributes to air quality, and how humans can manipulate it. The findings from this study, and other contemporary ones, can aid in efforts towards combating climate change and sustaining human life in a holistic manner. This multidisciplinary project synthesized research and education from biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, engineering, and statistics. It also opened avenues to discuss potential solutions for two of the NAE Grand Engineering Challenges: developing carbon sequestration methods, and engineering the tools of scientific discovery. The students had very positive feedback on their learning experiences such as honing their multidisciplinary content knowledge; applying their knowledge to real-world situations; improving their critical thinking, data analytical, and presentation skills.

Authors

Dr. Madhumi Mitra Ph.D. University of Maryland Eastern Shore [biography]

Dr. Madhumi Mitra is a tenured full professor of Biological and Environmental sciences in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). She is the coordinator of biology and chemistry education programs at UMES. She has received her doctoral degree in Plant Biology from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. Her B.S. and M.S degrees are in Botany from the Presidency College (now Presidency University) and University of Calcutta, India respectively. She is also the recipient of a master’s degree in the nation’s first-degree program in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics from the School of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) in 2021. Two of her students in Biology Education have been the recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), which is the highest honors bestowed by the United States government specifically for STEM teachers. One of her students was awarded the Maryland Teacher of the Year award in 2019. Her research interests and expertise include micro and macroalgal ecology; seaweeds in human health and nutrition; biomonitoring and biosorption potential of seaweeds and seagrasses; bioenergy from algae; water quality; and sustainable robotic farming with applications of seaweeds as biostimulants. She is the recipient of various research and teaching awards, and has published in many peer-reviewed journals and proceedings, and presented her research at national and international conferences. She also co-edited and coauthored a book on Bioenergy with Springer Academic Publishers in 2020. She is currently working on her second book on Artificial Intelligence in the 21st Century for CRC Press (a Taylor and Francis group). Dr. Mitra has given keynote addresses at international conferences on Bioenergy and related disciplines in the STEM areas. She holds a strong record of competitive funding from federal and state agencies. She has been a recipient of more than 15 million dollars grants as a principal and a co-principal investigator. She has served in various leadership roles for many professional organizations. She was the Division Chair of the Energy Conversion and Conservation Division (ECCD) of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). She has also served on the Board of Directors for Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) for more than five years; serves as a member of the commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of ASEE; and have been an advocate for renewable energy and climate change. Dr. Mitra also led several meditation and yoga workshops for the local and regional communities organized by the hospitals and Salisbury University (SU), and at national conferences for STEM teachers.
Dr. Abhijit Nagchaudhuri University of Maryland Eastern Shore [biography]

Dr. Abhijit Nagchaudhuri is currently a tenured professor in the Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore(UMES). Dr. Nagchaudhuri received his baccalaureate degree from Jadavpur University (India) with honors in mechanical engineering in 1983. Thereafter, he worked in a multinational industry for a little over three years before joining Tulane University as a graduate student in the fall of 1987. He received a master’s degree from Tulane University in 1989 and a doctoral degree from Duke University in 1992. He is a member of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and, has also been involved with the American Society for Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). He is actively involved in teaching and research in the fields of (i) robotics and mechatronics, (ii) remote sensing and precision agriculture, and,(iii) biofuels and renewable energy. He has been involved with several extramurally funded projects as PI or Co-PI to support outreach, education, and research activities from various state, federal, and private agencies; served in leadership roles in professional societies; and has received several awards and certificates from his home institution as well as professional societies.
Will Klein University of Maryland, College Park

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