Developing an educational curriculum for EnviroAtlas
Citation:
Hartley, J. Developing an educational curriculum for EnviroAtlas. ASPPH Annual Mtg, Arlington, VA, March 15 - 17, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
To provide a fellowship status update at the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Annual Meeting
Description:
EnviroAtlas is a web-based tool developed by the EPA and its partners, which provides interactive tools and resources for users to explore the benefits that people receive from nature, often referred to as ecosystem goods and services.Ecosystem goods and services are important to human health and well-being. Using EnviroAtlas, users can access, view, and analyze diverse information to better understand the potential impacts of decisions. EnviroAtlas provides two primary tools, the Interactive Map and the Eco-Health Relationship Browser. EnviroAtlas integrates geospatial data from a variety of sources so that users can visualize the impacts of decision-making on ecosystems. The Interactive Map allows users to investigate various ecosystem elements (i.e. land cover, pollution, and community development) and compare them across localities in the United States. The best part of the Interactive Map is that it does not require specialized software for map application; rather, it requires only a computer and an internet connection. As such, it can be used as a powerful educational tool. The Eco-Health Relationship Browser is also a web-based, highly interactive tool that uses existing scientific literature to visually demonstrate the connections between the environment and human health.As an ASPPH/EPA Fellow with a background in environmental science and secondary science education, I am currently developing an educational curriculum to support the EnviroAtlas tools. All lesson plans are being piloted and reviewed by multiple classroom teachers and science educators.The poster explains an introduction to EnviroAtlas and its tools, justifies and describes my current lesson plans under development and testing in local schools, and highlights the goals of my ASPPH/EPA Fellowship for future educational outreach in conjunction with the EnviroAtlas tools.This abstract has been reviewed and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Agency.