Long Island Regional Planning Council Annual
Long Island Water Quality Challenge
STEM competition invites middle and high school students to join the effort to tackle nitrogen pollution
Letters of interest due on November 10, 2022
Visit LIRPC, email ecole@lirpc.org, or call 516-571-7613.
Recognizing the need for greater interaction between our schools and professionals engaged in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), the Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) developed a STEM Challenge related to the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP). The goal of this initiative is to connect students, teachers, and their communities to the overall LINAP initiative.
The Challenge invites teams of students from any state accredited educational institution in Nassau and Suffolk counties serving students in grades 6-12, to develop and design projects for their school grounds to reduce nitrogen pollution by either reducing the use of fertilizers/pesticides and water consumption, or devising methods to collect and treat stormwater runoff from the school property.
To participate in this challenge, student teams will choose from one of two Water Quality Challenge categories that is feasible and meaningful to them and their community. Next, teams will notify the LIRPC of their intention to participate in the challenge by submitting a Letter of Interest by November 10, 2022. Final Project Proposals are due on January 27, 2023 and winners will be chosen and notified in March 2023.
Request for Expressions of Interest can be downloaded here.
Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.
For more information go to lirpc.org, email ecole@lirpc.org or call 516-571-7613.
Past Winners
Calhoun High School: Students designed a rain garden which features native plants to help filter out nitrogen and pollutants from stormwater runoff before it enters the surface waterways or recharges into the groundwater. The garden will also serve as an ongoing classroom for students in future years.
Commack High School: Students designed a native plant rain garden located in a courtyard that will be a subset of a larger plan to turn the courtyard into an outdoor classroom. The garden will remove sediment which contains nitrogen. As an added benefit it will provide an area for pollinators.
To sign up for our LINAP Newsletter, visit our LINAP webpage or click here.
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