Summer SAVY 2017, Session 3/Day 3- Chemical Spill! (Rising 4th/5th)

Posted by morganr1 on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 in SAVY.

Wow! It is hard to believe that we are already more than halfway through our week
of studying Chemical Spill!

We began today by making observations of our onion plants that are growing in
various concentrations of acidic and basic aqueous solutions. Some of the onions
have surprised us! We also talked about some of the substances that people use
regularly to care for ourselves and that then end up in our water supply. We tested
several household products and foods to determine which ones were acids, bases, or neutral substances. We discussed the patterns that we observed between the
uses of the substances and their pH levels.
We broadened our definition of ways that chemicals can be spilled to include the
substances that we put into water systems and we used maps of the United States
to see what a large portion of the country is included in the Mississippi River watershed. We watched some videos that explain water treatment processes and
the impact of agricultural fertilizers and waste water on the Dead Zone in the Gulf of
Mexico.

Last for the day, we began an experiment to determine the ratio of baking soda to
vinegar that is necessary to neutralize the vinegar. We will continue this activity tomorrow!
We’re also looking forward to a visit from Ms Chelsea Peters tomorrow. Ms Peters is
a PhD candidate in Vanderbilt’s Engineering program in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is going to tell us about her research on lead concentrations in soil
and how lead plays an important part in water pollution in Flint, Michigan.

Everyone get a good night’s rest so we’ll be ready for another exciting day in
Chemical Spill!

Mrs. Organ