Hafitch panel presentation for CO 2YC Energy Workshop

1. Monitoring Water Quality in Areas of Oil and
Natural Gas Development:
A Guide For Well Water Users
AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network
Community Outreach and Education

2. What is AirWaterGas?
The AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network is a team of
scientists, engineers, public health experts, economists, lawyers,
policy experts, and educators working on the same problem:
How do we maximize the benefits of natural gas
and oil resources and minimize damages to water
and air resources and risks to human health?

3. AirWaterGas is a Sustainability Research Network
Funded by the National
Science Foundation.
The goal of the Sustainability
Research Network program is
to build networks of
multidisciplinary teams to
address fundamental
challenges in sustainability.
AirWaterGas research covers
the Intermountain West.

4. AirWaterGas has 9 participating institutions.

5. The AirWaterGas Sustainability Research Network
The AirWaterGas network is composed of several research
teams:
Oil & Gas Infrastructure
Water Quantity
Water Quality
Air Quality
Water Treatment
Health Effects
Practices & Policies
Social-Economic
Systems
Data Management
New Technologies
Education & Outreach

6. AirWaterGas Education & Outreach
This task team seeks to partner with community groups and
K12 teachers to disseminate information and research
results to a variety of public constituents.
Projects:
• AirWaterGas Teacher Professional Development Program
• AQIQ : Air Quality Education in Rural Schools
• Community Small Grant Program

7. AirWaterGas Teacher Professional Development Program
• Partnership between AirWaterGas and UCAR Center
for Science Education
• Full program ran from Fall 2014 – Summer 2015
• Improved teachers’ skill, interest, and STEM content
knowledge in the context of AirWaterGas SRN
research.
• Developed suite of learning activities for educators
to scaffold understanding of climate,
environmental, and societal impacts of oil and gas
development and use.

8. AirWaterGas Teacher Professional Development Program
New Curriculum
• Oil and Gas Development
• Fracking Jello Activity
• Separation of Mixtures Unit
• Porosity Activity
• Boomtown Monopoly Game
• Water Usage in Hydraulic Fracturing Lesson
• Climate Change Activities
• Global Warming Potential Activities
• Energy City Game Activity
• Properties of Greenhouse Gases Activity
Curriculum Posted on www.airwatergas.org

9. AirWaterGas Teacher Professional Development Program
“My students want to have
conversation about how fossil fuels are
obtained and used, but there are clear
misconceptions, one-sided ideals, and
definite limitations to their discussion.”
Spring 2016 Online Course
April 8 – May 22 2016
Impacts of Oil and Natural Gas Development and Use on Earth
For MS and HS Science Teachers. If you are
interested, we could open it up to Community
College faculty. Email Lisa Gardiner at
lisagard@ucar.edu

10. U-Pods : Next-Generation Low Cost Air Quality
Monitoring Technology
• Versatile, continuous monitors
• Total cost < $1000 per device
• Open-source design
• Measures:
• Gas-phase species
• Temperature and humidity
• Wind speed and direction
• Soon to be available for
checkout at the CU Museum of
Natural History

11. Air Quality InQuiry (AQIQ) Project
• CU Engineering students are teaching a project based learning unit
on air quality using U-POD air quality monitors developed at CU
Boulder at 3 high schools in Delta County, CO and 2 high schools in
Weld County, CO.
• High school students conduct independent
research projects using U-PODs to measure
CO2, ozone, and volatile organic
compounds.

12. Air Quality InQuiry (AQIQ) Curriculum
Module 1 – Air Quality Research and Measurements Introduction
Module 2 – Data Collection
Module 3 – Data Analysis
Module 4 – Study Design and Planning
[Student Projects]
Module 5 – Interpreting and Presenting your Results
Varied activities ensure
students have the skills
necessary to conduct their
own research
To be available on TeachEngineering Digital Curriculum Library in
Spring 2016. Curriculum drafts available now.

13. AirWaterGas Community Grant Program
• A total of $20k was awarded to six community groups in
2015 through a community small grant program
• The goal of the program is to solicit and support
community based approaches to improving
understanding of the risks and benefits of oil and gas
development.
• 2015-16 Applications are now being accepted! Please
pick up an RFP today if you are interested in applying.

14. 2014-15 AirWaterGas Community Grant Awardees:
 “High Altitude Air Quality Monitoring”
Soaring Eagle Ecology Center, Red Feather Lakes, CO
 “Baseline Air Quality Monitoring”
Pagosa Springs High School, Pagosa Springs, CO
 “Utilizing U-Pod Technology to Emphasize STEM in
Poudre School District”
Fort Collins Utilities, Fort Collins, CO
 “Air, Water, Energy, SW Colorado”
Mountain Studies Institute, Durango, CO
 “Well Watch Project”
Poudre Learning Center, Greeley, CO
 “South Park Preliminary Baseline Air Quality Study”
Coalition for the Upper South Platte, Lake George, CO

15. AirWaterGas Community Grant Program
• 2015-16 Grant Applications due Tuesday, December 1,
at 5:00 PM MST. Late and incomplete applications will
not be accepted.
• Please use me to bounce around ideas, connect with
AirWaterGas researchers or community groups.

16. Thank You!
www.airwatergas.org
Katya Hafich
AirWaterGas Education & Outreach Coordinator
Katya.Hafich@colorado.edu
(303) 492-9113