City Sense exposes students to environmental sensing and demonstrates its connection to public health. Students use a mock sensor to explore 2-dimensional representations of the city.
City Sense is a short program, developed for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global Health Odyssey Museum, that exposes middle school and high school students to environmental sensing and demonstrates its connection to public health. This activity encourages and educates the students on the use of environmental sensors and their importance in the health of the city.
The City Sense project’s concept was born from the development of the CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (EPHT). The EPHT network is designed to coordinate environmental and public health data from different agencies across the country. Currently this data is scattered across different tracking systems, but the goal of the National Network is to integrate data from these agencies into a network of standardized electronic data that will provide valid scientific information on environmental exposures and adverse health conditions as well as the possible spatial and temporal relations between them [1]. This is a very complicated concept, especially for grade school students. Our goal is to reduce this information and focus on the importance of environmental sensors, learning how these sensors work, and designing a sensor network.
Research
Our research for this project was similar to that of the design-based research process [2]. We had our initial discussion with the CDC education coordinator, where she addressed the need for a short (45-60 minute) activity for the students to participate in once the tour of the facility and museum were complete. Following that discussion we began reviewing literature, researching existing theories, and studying existing models of the same or similar topics. Literature about the CDC, past CDC projects and exhibits, and current CDC research was included. We also studied the existing models of Technology Enhanced Learning Environments (TELEs) including WISE (Web-based Inquiry Science Environments), BGuILE (Biology Guided Inquiry Learning Environments), CSILE (Computer-Supported Intentional LearningEnvironments), and the Jasper series. Our goal as designers was to incorporate the principles and ideas of design into the activity. Since we are not experts in the area of science and environmental health, we did not want to teach science. We wanted to teach design while including scientific facts provided by the CDC and other science-based resources, therefore, an important part of our literature review covered design and design attitude [3].
Following the literature review and research, was a brain-storming session in which we established our
initial learning objectives:
Students will…
• Use self-directed learning to connect public health information to everyday experiences.
• Understand the complexity of environmental hazards
• Reveal challenges confronted by public health systems.
Students will understand a key attitude when engaging in design:
• Making things visible.
Students will also understand these additional design attitudes:
• Seeing the whole
• Engaging uncertainty
• Avoiding premature closure
• Enjoying improvisation
• Relying on tacit knowledge
With these objectives in mind we completed our first iterations of activity ideas. After combining a few of these ideas, we developed two activities that were presented to the CDC’s education coordinator:
• Sights, Sounds, and Scenarios
• Sick City
After further iteration, these two activities were combined into one: City Sense.
Activity Summary
City Sense focuses on the use of environmental sensors and the role they play in public health. The
activity educates the students on the importance of designing an effective sensor network. Using a sensor prototype and a 2-dimensional map, students look for a specific element in the environment that may be hazardous to public health. After sharing their findings, they perform another searching task with the additional constraint of having to anticipate the locations of the environmental hazard based on their newfound understanding of the hazard.
The interaction of City Sense originated from the science of color filters. A transparent piece of glass transmits all wavelengths of light, while an opaque object transmits no light. A green filter will transmit green, a blue filter will transmit blue, and a red filter will transmit red. When a red filter is placed over an image, red, and similar warm colors, will seem to disappear while darker colors and cool colors will
remain. Our sensor prototype utilizes a red filter in order to reveal the blue environmental hazard hidden within the orange interference pattern.
Activity Prototype Steps
City Sense is designed to be able to emphasize any environmental hazard that is detected by the EPHT network. Our prototype uses light pollution as the hazard being detected. The activity will be lead by the education coordinator at the Centers for Disease Control, therefore we must supply a detailed script of each step in the activity.
Preliminary Activity:
Students are educated on the EPHT network, importance of sensors, and specific information in the environment that an environmental sensor can detect. Students are given examples of various kinds of sensors that the students may be familiar with (thermometers, barometers, ect). Then they are given examples of tools they may not be as familiar with (spectrophotometer - measures light levels). The instructor explains light pollution and asks students to respond with examples of what they may see as light pollution. Instructor then explains the health effects related to exposure to light pollution.
Activity 1:
Students explore a map with sensors to find light pollution.
Step 1:
In the first step the instructor explains how to use the map (see Figure 1). The map is a 2-dimensional representation of a city. Next to the map is a series of photos that represent what specific areas of the map look like up close. Behind the map is an orange interference pattern. Behind the interference pattern are the hidden icons that represent light pollution (see Figure 3).
Step 2:
Once the explanation of the map is complete, the students are to divide into groups of five. Each group receives the map show in Figure 1 and the light sensor shown in Figure 2. The students should then begin exploring the map, looking for areas contaminated with light pollution. Affected areas are identifiedby a light bulb with a number inside that corresponds with the number attached to each picture (see Figure 3).
Step 3:
Once all of the hazard is identified, the students then discusses why each area is considered polluted. The instructor may ask some of the following questions to begin discussion:
• Who would like to share where you found light pollution?
• Why do you think there was light pollution there?
• Was there any pollution that surprised you?
• What did others find?
Activity 2:
Students use maps to design an appropriate sensor network.
Step 1:
In the second activity, each group receives another map of a different downtown area (see Figure 4). They now have to use the knowledge gained from the previous activity to design a sensor network for the city. The photos to the right of the map correlate with the numbers on the map. Some of the photos illustrate light pollution, while the others don’t. The students’ job is to determine the best place on the map to place their sensors in order to detect the greatest amount of light pollution. For example, if a student thinks that photo #1 is a polluted area they should put a mark on the map in the place that is representative of photo #!. Each group gets to mark three places on the map. These marks symbolize light sensors that are placed in the city. Once the students are finished, they have designed a sensor network for their city.
Step 2:
Once the sensor network is designed the instructor leads a discussion by starting with the following questions:
• Who would like to share where you placed your sensors?
• Why do you think there would be light pollution there?
• When you checked, was there any light pollution there?
• Why do you think there was [was not]?
• Do you think you designed an effective network?
• What did others find?
In Conclusion
After completing the City Sense activities, students will have an understanding of the advantages, disadvantages, difficulties and tradeoffs of environmental sensing. They will understand some of the considerations when approaching design problems. Finally, they will understand how sensing is consistent with the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking system.
City Sense Team:
Carl DiSalvo, PhD; Assoc. Professor, School of Literature, Communication, & Culture; Georgia Institute of Technology
Cinqué Hicks; Designer
Delisha Peterson; Designer
