CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 01/27/05

Fun models make pollution easier to understand

By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

A little powdered Kool-Aid, a spray bottle and a tabletop model with tiny homes, parking lots and farm fields can show in just minutes how pollution gets into Georgia's streams.

The tabletop model shows how surface-water runoff can affect local waterways, said Gary Hawkins, an Extension Service engineer with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Blue Kool-Aid, for instance, can represent fertilizer on a farm field or home lawn. When "rain" from the spray bottle hits the Kool-Aid, it begins to flow. A student can easily see how that fertilizer can eventually reach waterways and become pollution.

Different Kool-Aid colors can show how other pollutants, such as oil and gas from parking lots, can reach waterways, too.

"The 3D aspect of the model gives a hands-on effect," Hawkins said. "It gets the point across much faster than listening to a lecture."

It's just one of several tools used in the "Fun with Pollution Prevention" program developed by the UGA biological and agricultural engineering faculty.

"A lot of pollution prevention and water-quality educational programs are geared to adults," Hawkins said. Over the past four years, Hawkins said, the program has been presented as a whole or in part to around 8,000 K-12 students, teachers and adults from Georgia and other states.

The rainfall simulator is another tool. It shows how soil sediment gets into waterways. Sediment can cover the bottom of a stream and choke out microorganisms and invertebrates. This can cause a bad ripple effect throughout the stream's food chain.

Other tools include subsurface water models and low-cost water testing kits. Students can use the kits to test their local water's pH, nitrates and dissolved oxygen levels.

"The tools with this program show how individual actions can have a positive or negative effect on waterways," Hawkins said.

The program is part of the UGA Agricultural Pollution Prevention Program. It's funded through the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

It focuses on nonpoint-source pollution. This pollution can't be attributed to a particular point, such as a pipe dumping waste into a river.

Since the signing and implementation of the U.S. Clean Water Act in the 1970s, many specific-point pollution sources have been fixed.

Nonpoint-source pollution remains a problem, Hawkins said. It's harder to narrow down and control because it comes from so many different places.

Brad Haire is the former news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Gary L. Hawkins
University and state leaders cut the ribbon during the Science and Ag Hill dedication ceremony. (Chamberlain Smith/UGA) CAES News
UGA dedicates first phase of Science and Ag Hill modernization 11/01/24
The University of Georgia held a dedication ceremony on Oct. 30 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of renovations to modernize research and instruction facilities and infrastructure on UGA’s Science and Ag Hill. This area of campus, located just south of Sanford Stadium, includes buildings dedicated to a variety of scientific disciplines such as biology, physics, geology and agricultural sciences.
CAES doctoral students Sofia Varriano and Leniha Lagarde follow farmer Clay Brady to the pasture where many of his chickens are kept. CAES News
UGA researchers study how free-range chickens influence farm sustainability 10/31/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are studying how pastured and free-range chickens impact ecosystems on integrated crop-livestock farms. Supported by a $749,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, entomology doctoral student Sofia Varriano and her thesis advisor, agroecologist and systems biology Professor Bill Snyder, are testing the promise of integrated crop-livestock agriculture to increase the sustainability of smaller farms.
Kaytlyn Cobb is now spearheading a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm as regional assistant director. CAES News
Kaytlyn Cobb joins UGA Grand Farm to boost agricultural innovation in Georgia 10/30/24 Sean Montgomery
Growing up in north Georgia’s Franklin County, Kaytlyn Cobb knew her aspirations in agriculture would always lead her to new opportunities. Inspired by her dedicated community and diverse background, Cobb is now spearheading a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm as regional assistant director. Hired in August, Cobb hit the ground running to continue development of the fast-forming ecosystem between Grand Farm, the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and global strategic partners.
Kevan Lamm teaching undergraduate students CAES News
CAES researchers prepare students to address complex challenges of the future 10/29/24 Emily Cabrera
Over the next three years, researchers in the University of Georgia’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication aim to transform undergraduate education in agricultural and environmental sciences by integrating systems thinking — an approach that encourages students to see the bigger picture by understanding how different components within a system interact.
Thermal imaging technology could improve the production of fruits and vegetables. CAES News
Thermal imaging may help fruits, veggies stay fresher longer 10/28/24 Savannah Peat
Before your favorite produce arrives at the grocery store, it must be carefully harvested and maintained across long stretches of time. A recent University of Georgia review suggests new temperature measuring technologies could make that process much simpler, amid growing agricultural challenges fueled by fluctuating climates. Maintaining temperature, humidity and light is critical to ensuring fruits and vegetables don’t spoil or deteriorate rapidly. Temperature spikes are the root of adverse outcomes, so monitoring these changes quickly and accurately is key.
At the 2024 Georgia Life Sciences Summit held Oct. 21-22 in Atlanta, Professor Quingguo “Jack” Huang of the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences received the Golden Helix Innovation Award for his research in technologies to mitigate “forever chemicals” in water resources. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker) CAES News
Georgia Bio awards recognize UGA inventor, corporate partners 10/25/24 Carson McAfee
University of Georgia Professor Quingguo “Jack” Huang, Delta Innovation Hub resident Dalan Animal Health, and Athens manufacturer Meissner Corporation were recognized for their achievements in the life science industry at Georgia Bio’s Georgia Life Sciences Summit, held Oct. 21-22 in Atlanta. The Golden Helix Awards celebrate the contributions of Georgia legislative, academic, corporate, and advocacy leaders working to grow the life science industry and foster strategic partnerships that create a healthier world.