Designing Prototypes to Save Coral Reefs
Students are presented with the phenomenon of human activities killing coral reefs. They work in groups of 2-5 to create a prototype to help reduce the impact of coral loss from an assigned perspective (e.g., coral bleaching, tourism, pollution, overfishing/dredging). They should already have basic knowledge of the importance of coral reefs and why they need to be saved, as well as previous experience with general research. Students brainstorm solutions, build prototypes, and test those prototypes that will help reduce their human impact or counter the effects of their human impact. The prototype needs to be created using inexpensive materials, and interact with saltwater for certain periods of time (e.g., float, sink, be buoyant in water, filter water). Students present their prototypes to the class at the end of the process. Students have official check-ins with the teacher periodically to gauge progress, and the teacher conducts informal check-ins with students on a regular basis to provide support as needed.
A student group’s first prototypeCopyright Photo taken by Julie Cooper, 2023.
Many human activities have negative impacts on our environment, some of which are still to be discovered or fully understood. Environmental engineers help design new technology that will help sustain our natural resources and reverse the effects of human impacts to the environment. They use their knowledge and ask questions to discover new devices that can help us keep our environment healthy for many generations to come.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Define what anthropogenic effects are.
- Communicate the cause of mass coral die-off.
- Explain the major impacts of coral die-off.
- Explain the importance of coral reefs.
- Design, evaluate, or refine a solution (technological or otherwise) to coral loss.