The Science Collective - An Interdisciplinary Approach to Investigating Purification

In today’s world, clean and safe drinking water is something many of us take for granted. But did you know that over 2 billion people around the globe lack access to safe drinking water? That's why the class of DP-2 decided to undertake a collaborative science project regarding the effectiveness of filtering water from different sources.

On the 29th of August, 2024, the students came together and brought samples of water to test for impurities. These samples were collected from a variety of sources, including local streams, lakes, ponds, and even rooftop still water. From this, a variety of tests were undertaken in order to evaluate the initial impurities present as well as the results after.

Biology students located indicative species while observing the surrounding regions of the water sources in order to locate sources of pollution/impurities. Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) students were able to measure the pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity of the water, and chemistry students were given the opportunity to filter the water, after measuring a multitude of factors using testing strips. These factors included levels of iron, copper, chlorine, nitrites, nitrates, and alkalinity within the water. Physics students measured the heat capacity of normal distilled water along with the samples of water collected after they were filtered.

But what does all of this complicated stuff mean? Well, the collaborative science project, which is an integral part of the IB Diploma Programme aims to prepare its students to face the true nature of the scientific sphere, where multiple areas of the sciences must work together to find results. Through this interdisciplinary project, the DP-2 class not only learned about the science of water purification but also about the importance of collaboration, critical thinking, and social responsibility. This experience emphasized that while the challenge of ensuring safe drinking water is immense, innovative thinking and teamwork can lead to impactful solutions. We can’t wait to see what they have found when they present their findings on the 8^th of September!

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