Prof. Jaehong Kim's Students Win Environmental Engineering Video Award

02/18/2016
Departments: Chemical and Environmental Engineering

Highlighting their recent trip to Nicuragua, students from Prof. Jaehong Kim's Environmental Technology in the Developing World (ENVE410L) class took third place in this year's student video competition of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP).

The theme of the competition was "Environmental Engineers Protect Public and Ecological Health." With a target audience of middle and high school students, the competition is designed to highlight environmental engineering and science to increase awareness about the field and encourage young people to learn more about stewardship of water, land, air, mineral, and energy resources. AEESP, considered the prime organization for faculty and students in the field, held the competition for the first time this year.

Environmental Engineering student Madeline Landon, who took Environmental Technology in the Developing World in Spring 2015, produced the video "The Work of an Environmental Engineer" with assistance from students Kamya Jagadish, and Benjamin Bartolome. They received a $500 prize.

"This award highlights the broader impact of Yale's new undergraduate course, ENVE410L Environmental Technology in the Developing World, as well as Yale University's focus on the highest quality undergraduate education," said Prof. Kim who acted as faculty advisor on the video.

In particular, the video focuses on a trip the class took to Nicaragua, where students studied the quality of air and water, and its impact on residents. They also tested the emissions of traditional cooking stoves, and compared the results to improved stoves. Considering the amount of time women and children in the villages spend in the kitchen, this information is crucial to improving health outcomes in the region. They also tested effluent water in Los Robles to measure the efficacy of ceramic filters used there. By the end of their visit, the students shared the results of their research with local residents.

"This video effectively captures the core value of environmental engineering," Prof. Kim said. "Environmental engineering is built around humans and nature and focuses on developing technologies and advancing science to 'change the world.' That's the main message of this video."

Judging was conducted by a panel of environmental engineering and science faculty, as well as K-12 science educators. Videos were evaluated based on originality and creativity, content accuracy, and the potential to motivate middle and high school students to pursue a career in environmental engineering and science.

Landon said that since engineering is often difficult for students to conceptualize, she focused on the hands-on nature of environmental engineering.

"I wanted to make it more accessible by focusing on our project as a clear example of the application of an environmental engineering degree,” she said. "The video was also intended to illustrate the way in which environmental engineering can impact public health. I that hope when students watch it, they can imagine themselves pursuing environmental engineering."