 RICHLAND, Wash. – Sound testing kicked off recently at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant as team members measured ambient sound levels throughout the plant’s facilities. The testing allows the team to verify that fire alarm volume levels meet fire codes and workers can hear alarms over ambient sounds. Ambient sound levels have changed since construction finished and commissioning activities began. Plant maintenance department team members used meters to measure ambient sound levels in multiple locations throughout the plant’s Balance of Facilities, Low-Activity Waste Facility, Analytical Laboratory and other facilities. Teams will also test at the plant’s simulator facility in Richland, Washington. Here, maintenance staff members Heather Price, left, and Fitsum Gebretatios conduct sound testing in the Analytical Laboratory.
-Contributor: Staci West
 Students work on an exam at the aquatics station at this year’s Cattaraugus County Envirothon. Nine teams from various schools competed in the environmental competition that tested their knowledge of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife and a special current issue.
WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – With support from EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), students from local high schools recently joined a competition based on environmental topics, with this year’s special focus on adapting to climate change.
The Cattaraugus County Envirothon is an outdoor, hands-on competition that emphasizes teamwork while testing students’ knowledge in aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, and wildlife.
Allegany-Limestone High School Team #1 took first place in the event, followed by Olean High School at second and a second team from Allegany-Limestone High School at third. Nine teams from grades nine through 12 from five school districts competed for the county’s Envirothon title.
“The Envirothon competition encourages students’ interest in our environment and reinforces the importance of protecting our natural resources,” EM WVDP Safety and Site Programs Team Leader Jennifer Dundas said. “It also aligns with EM’s mission to build pathways for a diverse workforce to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers that will solve some of the most complex challenges of our time.”
The Cattaraugus County teams worked together to complete five exams at different stations where they identified various species of trees, wildlife and fish on display and answered questions about habitat and other environmental-related subjects. The team with the highest cumulative score from the exams is named the winner.
The local event is part of the broader Envirothon, which is the largest conservation education program in North America. Each year, over 25,000 high school students across the U.S, Canada and China participate in the competition held by the National Conservation Foundation. It begins at the local level with several schools from each county competing to advance to statewide, and ultimately continent-wide, events.
The Cattaraugus County Envirothon is organized by the Cattaraugus County Soil and Water Conservation District. The event is supported by local environmental groups, civic organizations and businesses, with help from more than 20 volunteers.
“We are glad to be a part of this environmental learning competition,” said John Rendall, president and general manager of CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, EM’s cleanup contractor at WVDP. “Friendly competition stimulates learning and demonstrates the importance of balancing quality of life and the quality of the environment."
Allegany-Limestone High School Team #1 will go on to compete in the New York State Envirothon. Once a team is chosen as the state champion, its members become New York’s representatives at the North American Envirothon.
-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere
 Heritage Academy student Derek Webb uses a dichotomist key to identify an aquatic specimen caught in a Savannah River Site streambed.
AIKEN, S.C. – More than 50 fifth and sixth grade students from a school in Augusta, Georgia, recently experienced a unique hands-on environmental class in the forests of the Savannah River Site (SRS) to inspire early interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers at the site.
The Science and Technology Enrichment Program (STEP) at SRS is a cooperative effort with the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, where lessons correlate to academic curriculum for grades three through 12 and use real-world investigations focusing on responsible environmental stewardship.
Kimberly Fickling, the center’s environmental education director, believes every student should have the opportunity to learn from experts in the field.
“We are connecting classroom standards to real hands-on activities that can spark students’ interest in STEM and careers in science,” said Fickling. “We truly bring science to life through these different opportunities.”
The students from Heritage Academy who participated in the recent environmental class completed a macroinvertebrate count and watershed activity that addressed the human impact on healthy ecosystems and how pollution affects major water sources.
“Today I learned that all organisms deserve safety and respect, no matter how small they seem. I loved examining the water scorpion up close under the microscope. These tiny organisms are so important to the health of our water systems,” said Camden Robinson, a sixth grade student at Heritage Academy.
 Kimberly Fickling, environmental education director at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center, far left, and Taylor Rice, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions education outreach specialist, at right of Fickling, assist students in identifying macroinvertebrates under a microscope.
STEP continues to create special experiences for students visiting the site, which is home to many rare and endangered species. Students delve into topics such as preserving the nesting habitat of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, constructing watersheds, analyzing manmade pollution and identifying freshwater macroinvertebrates in ponds and streams.
Heritage Academy Program Coordinator Westin Bobadilla believes there is a need for more hands-on activities outside of the classroom.
“Having kids come out and experience these lessons is a very unique and special opportunity,” said Bobadilla. “I really saw these kids break out of their comfort zones and engage with many new scientific instruments during the activities.”
Organizers of the STEP classes have overcome many obstacles. In 2020, COVID-19 halted in-person classes, but the program persevered and shifted to virtual instruction. In 2022, the onsite classrooms predominately used for STEP were shut down, but the program continued at the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory auditorium and onsite outdoor spaces.
“We are having to adapt to this change and shift our program to outdoor areas while sending larger classes to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory,” said Taylor Rice, education outreach specialist with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the site’s managing and operating contractor. “We would love to have our own designated facility and classroom space for education outreach to impact more students on environmental matters.”
SRS plans to continue STEP field trips to showcase the many careers at the site, spark interest in STEM and connect with local schools in the Central Savannah River Area. For more information about a field trip opportunity with STEP, contact Taylor Rice at taylor.rice@srs.gov.
-Contributor: Mackenzie McNabb
|
