Project Description

Brownfield Action is an interactive simulation of an investigation led by environmental scientists into a suspected contaminated land site. Students in pairs assume the role of an environmental consulting company, who through interviews with residents of the town, and the use of environmental testing strategies, attempt to pinpoint the source and type of contamination. Students must operate within a defined budget, carefully planning each step of the process. The project culminates with a report by each “company” that describe their findings. While there is essentially only one “correct” answer—the location and source of the contamination—there are many ways students can reach this conclusion. Project teams are evaluated on the decision making process they used to carry out their investigation within the given budget, the relevancy of questions asked, their use of testing, and their accuracy in interpreting the findings.

The simulation is intended for use in the laboratory component of the Introduction to Environmental Science Course at Barnard College, taught by Prof. Peter Bower. This simulation is an adaptation of a paper-based version of the study that had been in use several years and is ideally suited for a digital environment where students can seamlessly gather, store, and manipulate data.

The Interface

The main part of the site under investigation is an abandoned factory that a development company wants to replace with a mall. Before purchasing the land, they hire the students’ company to investigate the site. The students have a set amount of money to find out as much as they can about any contamination that might be present and report it to their client. The simulation keeps track of the data and money for each company that participates. Surrounding the factory are several businesses and residences that students can visit to find out information about the site history. Maps and other documents can be obtained from city and county government offices. To gather environmental data about the site, students can choose from several testing technologies and interact with the map to perform the tests and collect data. Before using a particular test, students can read information explaining how the tests are performed, what type of results they give, and how much they cost.

Project Evaluation

This project is an improvement over the previous paper-based exercise because:

• students learned considerably more and in greater depth, based on an evaluation and review of reports and maps prepared by students at the end of the course;
• students appreciated that Brownfield Action assisted their learning, by “the way it pulled everything together” and “helped to understand the big picture of environmental contamination”;
• the computers effectively engaged students in the investigation issues and in probing them more deeply than previously, thereby enhancing the learning process.

A complete evaluation in pdf format of version 1.0 of Brownfield Action is available for download.

Development

Authenticity of the program was guaranteed by collaborating with actual scientists and experts in this type of investigation, who were able to ensure that responses were similar to those that might be given by politicians and businessmen, and that the hypothetical combination was actually feasible given the variables such as water variation, bedrock layers and surface sediments. By creating layers of datasets made up of millions of color-coded datapoints, there are almost infinite results that students can come up with based on the type, depth and location of each test.