Heavy metal learning

Wright State University is engaging Ohio high school students in hands-on environmental science through a program that teaches them how to detect heavy metals in water, while inspiring them to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Wright State University is helping Ohio high school students discover the real-world impact of science through a hands-on program that teaches them how to test and analyze water quality and sparks interest in STEM careers.

Supported by a nearly $50,000 award from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the project — Futures in Chemistry: Empowering Young Minds in Electrochemical Detection of Heavy Metals for Water — introduces students to advanced instrumentation used to detect heavy metals in water.

Suzanne Lunsford, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Wright State and the program’s organizer, said the project helps students connect classroom lessons to real-world environmental and health issues.

“Heavy metals are very toxic and can cause brain damage in young children,” said Lunsford.

More than 40 Batavia High School students recently participated in a hands-on lab at Wright State, where they learned how to test water samples for heavy metals using electrochemical methods.

“Every time I look at water I’ll probably think of this experiment,” said sophomore Brooklynn Gibson.

Graduate chemistry student Kwaku Nyarko, who assists in the labs, said the lessons have global relevance, pointing to his native Ghana, where water testing is critical.

“There is a lot of illegal mining going on in Ghana, and they are using these heavy metals and destroying our bodies in search for gold and other minerals,” said Nyarko. “Analyzing heavy metals in water is the best thing I think the high school students should know.”

Tom Smith, a 2018 Wright State grad who teaches at Batavia High School, said the experience broadens his students’ perspectives.

“It’s hard to dream outside your neighborhood,” he said. “Chemistry might not be in their future, but it might lead them to a place they would not have otherwise gone by taking part in this program.”