Grant Summary
$240,000 over 36 months to provide HEAF high school students with a stimulating college-level academic experience centered on environmental science, and to support HEAF's college preparatory program, College Quest. Brownfield Action (BA) is an award-winning, web-based course that simultaneously builds science literacy and civic awareness. Working in teams, students "become" environmental detectives who investigate issues around developing brownfields (contaminated, abandoned sites) for the good of the community. In addition to scientific skills, BA also helps students strengthen their research and communication skills, with a major emphasis on writing. As a student-centered, "active learning" interdisciplinary curriculum, BA fosters analytical thinking, collaborative activity and creative problem-solving. It also offers students close faculty interactions as well as one-on-one working with writing tutors and peer mentors.