Carroll County Middle School Farm Day

LEWAS participated in the Carroll County Middle School Farm Day held at the school's farm in Carroll County, Virginia. Middle school students who attended were able to see the LEWAS site and the Webb Branch Watershed in Virtual Reality using Google Cardboards. They also learned about stormwater runoff from pervious and impervious surfaces through the model watershed activity. They were able to create their own watersheds using sponges, fake grass, tinfoil, and wooden blocks. The LEWAS team then poured rice and food coloring ("pollution") on the watersheds to demonstrate how pollutants move during a storm event.

Christiansburg Stormwater Day Fall

LEWAS has participated in the Christiansburg Middle School Stormwater Day held at Izaak Walton Park. Students constructed their towns using materials such as sponges, turf grass, rags, wooden blocks, and tinfoil. The students then dumped sand (the “pollutant”) onto the mini-watersheds to see where it will go when it rains and becomes runoff. The LEWAS team conducted an activity for middle school students about how important plants and retention ponds are for controlling stormwater runoff, as well as discussing what kinds of pollutants are present in urban, suburban, and agricultural environments.

#"Family Maker Night" at Belle Hethe Elementary School, November LEWAS Lab has participated in the Family Maker Night at Belle Hethe Elementary School in Radford, Virginia for two years. Elementary-aged students and their families were engaged in a watershed model demonstration, learned about turbidity measurements, and used a Raspberry Pi Temperature sensor to see temperature changing on a monitor right before their eyes. LEWAS was able to provide a new experience for many of the students and their families, reaching a population that otherwise might not live in close proximity to many other Virginia Tech outreach events.