Virgin Islands Water Quality Education Program - Water Heroes
The Virgin Islands Water Quality Education Program (VIWQEP) is funded through the
Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) at the University of the Virgin Islands. Benefiting students in grades 3-12, this
program focuses, on providing education and training to Virgin Islands students that
focuses on the 3 main concepts outlined below.
The Water Heroes Programs uses a combination of classroom presentations, virtual
reality, and hands-on interactive activities to provide water quality education to
youth. This coupling of the best practices between both formal and informal STEM education
ensures that the content is presented to the students in a format that is relatable
and enjoyable. Through this citizen science effort, large quantities of scientific
data can be collected easily whilst providing training opportunities for both educators
and students.
Water Conservation
This lesson focuses on teaching students to better understand where water is
found on our planet, which of that water is usable to humans, and issues surrounding
water conservation. Students use virtual reality headsets to explore areas on Earth
where access to clean, drinking water is limited.
Water Quality Testing
In this lesson, students learn about various sources of water contamination,
the differences between point and non-point source pollution, and the equipment used
to test water quality. Students will collect a water sample from home and analyze
for both pH and presence or absence of coliform bacteria.
Water Filtration
In this lesson, students learn about how water is naturally filtered in our environment
as well as which filter components work best to filter specific contaminants. Students
will design and build their own water filter using various components and test how
well their filter can purify contaminated water.
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
Below, you can access and download our presentations and worksheets used for each
lesson.
Water Conservation Lesson 1
Water Filtration Lesson 3
The Water Heroes Program currently produces two classroom kits for educators; one
that focuses on water quality testing and the other on water filtration. Each kit
contains all of the necessary supplies for you to conduct each activity with a total
of 20 students. Feel free to contact us to let us know when you need to restock on
your kit contents.
- Please note that this is dependent on the availability of kit contents.
Water Quality Testing Kit
In this kit, you should have coliform bacteria tests, pencils, litmus paper strips,
centrifuge tubes (for collecting the water sample), data entry forms, pH standards
(acid-vinegar and base-milk of magnesia), and various informational post cards.
Water Filtration Kit
In this kit, you should have plastic cups (some with predrilled holes and some
without), sand, gravel, activated charcoal, recycled crushed glass sand, dirt, coffee
filters, cheese cloth, cotton balls, and toothpicks.
362
Water Quality Test Reports Received Since 2020
14
Schools and Education Programs Across the USVI We Work With
48%
of Users Who Have Reported a Positive Coliform Bacteria Test
Contact Us!
Our team is happy to help you!
Phone: St. Thomas: (340) 693-1672
E-mail: howard.forbes@uvi.edu
Website: http://vimas.uvi.edu
Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service
Center for Marine and Environmental Studies
University of the Virgin Islands
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