Science on Tap - PD Summer Opportunities

This summer WSST will have two opportunities for "Science on Tap" hosted by members of Wisconsin's Green Fire. Join us through zoom

The first session will be "Nitrate in Wisconsin, Your County, and Your Home" by Jimmy VandenBrook on July 16th at 7pm. The focus of the evening will be understanding nitrate in the environment, its health effects, why it is the most widespread contaminant of drinking water in Wisconsin, and management options. Ideas for how to use this in the classroom will be discussed.

"Science On Tap". Zoom July 16- View recorded zoom Password: 6f*?=#7+

Mike Foy will present the second session on August 11th at 7pm on "Using Science to Fight Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin". Mike will present an update on CWD in Wisconsin, an exercise demonstrating science-based analysis to fight the disease and how this could be implemented. Ways to use this in science classes will be discussed.

More information on the session on Nitrate:

In Wisconsin, hundreds of public water supplies and approximately 80,000 homes with private wells now exceed the health standard for nitrate. Teachers can access the data and maps that show which soils are the most sensitive to nitrate movement to groundwater (drinking source for 2/3 of Wisconsin residents), the sensitivity of underlying bedrock, and land use maps. Students can combine these data types to estimate contamination risks. Data exists on actual groundwater contamination statewide, in their county, and their communities. Further, teachers could engage students directly through voluntary, confidential testing of student’s home water supply, with data aggregated for instructional purposes. Cost implications of nitrate contamination, both to consumer health and for possible remedies should also be discussed. Fact-based environmental and health science is often questioned by affected interests whose opinions are not subject to the same, if any, fact-based review. Strikingly, the recent PISA test of 15 year-old American students found that only 14% could reliably discern the difference between facts and opinion. This example of science interacting with public policy could be used to illuminate the critical thinking needed to understand that difference, not just for the furtherance of science but of many human endeavors.

More information on the session on CWD:

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the Cervidae family, including deer, elk, moose and caribou, and is closely related to diseases such as scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle (aka mad cow disease), and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. CWD was discovered near Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin in 3 deer killed during the 2001 deer season, and has continued to increase in prevalence and distribution in Wisconsin since then.

CWD can be spread from deer to deer through exchange of bodily fluids, and from a contaminated environment back to healthy deer. While CWD is very hard if not impossible to eliminate once established, it can be managed by reducing disease prevalence and distribution. Left unchecked, CWD may cause significant harm to Wisconsin deer herds, and put our deer hunting traditions,

tribal heritage, rural economy, tax base and food supply at risk.

Zoom Details:

Topic: WSST Science on Tap Time: Jul 16, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8483011925?pwd=YW81YTlxOGYrZXBQeTBCRTBnT0dLQT09 Meeting ID: 848 301 1925 Password: WSSTBoard One tap mobile +13126266799,,8483011925#,,1#,460850# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,8483011925#,,1#,460850# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 848 301 1925 Password: 460850 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kckTR7kYAB

Topic: WSST- Science on Tap Time: Aug 11, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8483011925?pwd=YW81YTlxOGYrZXBQeTBCRTBnT0dLQT09 Meeting ID: 848 301 1925 Password: WSSTBoard One tap mobile +13126266799,,8483011925#,,1#,460850# US (Chicago) +16465588656,,8483011925#,,1#,460850# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 848 301 1925 Password: 460850 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kckTR7kYAB