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In the Environmental Engineering class, Upper School students are hard at work creating eco-columns— miniature, self-sustaining environments where plants and animals can thrive together!

The eco-columns are made up of three parts: terrestrial, filtration, and aquatic, said Upper School Science Teacher Michelle Amos. At the top of the column, where the plants and worms live, the students learn about soil chemistry and biogeochemical cycles (the flow of chemical elements/compounds between living organisms and the physical environment). The worms help to breakdown and aerate the soil so the water may pass through the filtration chamber, made up of sand and gravel, which will ultimately produce clean water for fish to live in in the bottom chamber. The worms were added earlier this week, so the fish will be added in a couple weeks to allow for the water to be properly filtered.

"This project is actually a combination of all of the units that will be completed over the semester, including the study of ecosystems and biodiversity," explains Amos. "Students will collect and graph their data over the course of the semester, and then learn and understand why the data changes over time."

In the lab, students' emotions ranged from pure joy to uncertainty at the idea of picking up worms to relocate them to their new homes. But overall, there was an air of enthusiasm regarding the project.  "This is the raddest project I've ever done," says Alex S. '24. "I love creating a self-sustaining environment out of things we have." And fellow classmate Jordan C. '24 shared, "I love seeing with my eyes how the earth works."

"In another two weeks, the students will have a self-sustaining eco-column," Amos said. Stay tuned for updates!