Jackson Advocate Guest Writer
Starting on June 9, 2025, the Community Noise Lab at the Brown University School of Public Health will launch a free, self-paced, online summer environmental health and science program for middle school students in grades 5 – 8. The Environmental Explorers School is designed to introduce environmental science, promote community engagement, and expand the learning experiences of middle school students anywhere. While individual students can complete this program, this free program would also be great for summer enrichment programs, where students can work individually but in groups.
The course has 25 lessons covering topics ranging from air and noise pollution to water quality and nutrition. Each module will have a brief video, a lecture, a knowledge check, and a community-facing activity. Some activities students will undertake this summer will include testing their tap water, measuring air and noise pollution in their community, reporting illegal dumping sites, and writing an op-ed to express their views on environmental issues important to them. After completing each lesson, students will earn an Environmental Explorer Badge. Each badge will allow students to move up in the five available program ranks: (1) grasshopper, (2) cadet, (3) apprentice, (4) activist, and (5) explorer. The successful completion of all lessons will earn a student a certificate of completion from the Community Noise Lab at Brown University and an invitation to a virtual graduation ceremony!…