Students Go Underground to Get the Dirt on Soil

When Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry wanted to create an online, interactive exhibit, they turned to Argonne’s Environmental Assessment Division (EAD) for its capabilities in Internet applications and environmental research. The exhibit, “Tales from the Underground,” moves lessons about soil quality from the museum to the classroom.

Argonne scientists made the Web site kid-friendly and compiled specialized maps of 77 Chicago neighborhoods using Argonne’s award-winning Maps and Data (MaD) browser, said Robert Johnson, who worked on the project. By acting as “underground agents,” students sample soil from their backyards for pH, nitrate and phosphate content, three key elements in determining soil health.

“The whole idea of the project is to make students feel like they are on a top-secret mission,” said Johnson.

Using the MaD browser, students upload their results to a master database maintained by EAD, which are then posted onto the Tales from the Underground Web site. Locations are color-coded based on their pH, nitrate and phosphate levels.

“We’ve been using the MaD browser for the last several years for characterization and remediation data collected during Department of Defense and Department of Energy site cleanup work,” Johnson said.

Tales from the Underground is an addition to the museum’s “Reusable City” that shows visitors how the choices people make in their daily lives affect the environment.

For more information please contact Donna Jones Pelkie at 630-252-5501

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