This past weekend, we were lucky enough to bring three teams of Earth Team interns out to collect road dust samples! After weeks of learning about TRWPs (Tire and road wear particles), interns were ready to put their skills to the test in our October field event. Interns had received lessons on what TRWPs are, why they can be dangerous, what road dust is, and how to collect it, so this event was the perfect culmination of their knowledge.
At 9:30am on Saturday, October 25th, Berkeley High, Richmond High, and Pinole Valley High interns all met at a local donut shop in Richmond. We enjoyed some donuts, put on our personal protective equipment, and chatted with members of other teams before we began to prepare for our data collection.
We were lucky to have special guests from UC Berkeley’s Fung fellowship, who came and talked to the interns about what they are doing in their project as well. They will be helping us out by making some outreach materials and improving our sampling methods.
After introductions from the Fung fellows, interns split up into groups to divide and conquer our 11 sites for that day. Although it was sprinkling, interns still enjoyed walking around and chatting with classmates in between sample times.
Working together, each team navigated themselves to their next assigned site using a printed map. When each team arrived to their site, they split up into a smaller group to best accomplish the task. The first step was to determine roles. One person would be in charge of collecting the sample, one person helped them with supplies, one person wrote down data, and two people served as spotters to watch out for cars. Each member of the team had an important role that they all had ownership in, knowing they were equally important in the success of this project. Next, the sample collector would collect the sample, with the help from their supply person, while the spotters watched for traffic and the data writer wrote down important information like GPS points, weather conditions, and road conditions. Finally, the group packed up their sample, and we would continue walking to our next site.
While interns were not collecting samples, they also had opportunities to talk with the Fung fellows, and record a video answering questions for them. This allowed the interns to practice public speaking and scientific communication skills.
After all our samples were collected, interns worked their way back to the local donut shop, where we returned our supplies, debriefed how we felt about the field day, and waited for them to be picked up. Pinole Valley High intern, Camila, said that “the collection aspect was something that can be done by anyone and this can help them learn about their local environment”.
Overall, interns were able to meet students from other schools, learn how to collect scientific samples and fill out data sheets, practice individual safety, and share their experiences professionally.
Thank you to the California Air Resource Board’s Community Air Grants Program for funding this research!
Despite the rainy and wet weather, the TRWP data collection event was a fun experience. I’ve never done anything like that before, and it actually reminded me of collecting samples back in my IB Biology class. It was a great opportunity to try something new, and I especially enjoyed getting to socialize and see people from the community come together.
-Angela, PVHS Intern
