(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Inoculation Project 9/10/2023: Examining Soil and Rock, Part 2 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-09-10 This week, we’re continuing last week’s projects, helping a Florida science teacher with a geology lab on the underpinnings of parts of her state, and a Texas agriculture teacher with soil-testing equipment. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects. The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools. Regrettably, we seem to have run through all the matching funds to be had from the National Corn Growers Association, so we are on our own (except for all the other donors in the world!) to complete our two current projects. The first one has so little left open, I am sure we can get it to the point today where other donors will pluck it off the “urgent” list and complete it, if we don’t do it ourselves. Mrs. Bremner teaches middle school near Florida’s east coast, in a small city right up against the Everglades. Karst topography is a very relevant topic for Florida students to learn about! PROJECT #1 Project: Karst Topography in Science Resources: Help me give my students modeling clay, sugar cubes and test tubes to study karst topography. Economic need: An Equity Focus School; more than half of students from low‑income households. Location: Sawgrass Springs Middle School, Coral Springs, Florida Total: $274.67 Still Needed: $ 100.26 Completed, thank you! Please consider project #2 below. Project description by Mrs. Bremner: Karst terrain is created from the dissolution of soluble rocks, principally limestone. Karst areas are characterized by distinctive landforms (like sinkholes) that results in aquifers that are highly productive but extremely vulnerable to contamination. Karst develops as rain falls through the atmosphere if picks up carbon dioxide (CO2). When this rain reaches the ground and passes through the soil it picks up more CO2 and forms a weak solution of carbonic acid. As the acidified rain water trickles down through cracks in the limestone, it begins to dissolve the rock. Over time it progressively enlarges the cracks and openings in the ground an underground drainage system starts to develop. In this lab, my students will use sugar cubes, modeling clay and test tubes to simulate karst topography being created by acidified rain water. DONATE HERE Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference! This channel for kids explains how environmental problems can be tracked down and addressed. This one is about figuring out the source of groundwater pollution in a karst area. x x YouTube Video Mr. Reisinger is a brand-new junior/senior high school teacher in a little dot of a town a bit southeast of Lubbock, Texas. He’s teaching agriculture classes, and he needs all sorts of equipment, as new teachers will. This project is most focused on soil testing. (“FFA” is “Future Farmers of America”.) This is quite an ambitious project, but we have a couple of months plus a bit, and we made good use of the matching funds to advance it to a less daunting point. I think we’ll be okay. PROJECT #2 Project: Mr. Reisinger Agriculture Class Set Up Resources: Help me give my students an Agriculture class to remember this school year. Economic need: An Equity Focus School; more than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households. Location: Wilson School, Wilson, Texas Total: $1,139.87 Still Needed: $ 788.87 $708.87 Project description by Mr. Reisinger: I am brand new into teaching starting my first year as an Agriculture at a very small 1a school in West Texas serving a predominately minority population with various socioeconomic situations. I teach plant science and agriculture mechanics/wielding to students from 7th-12th grade, I will also be teaching a middle school stem class. I also run the FFA chapter at the same time. My goal is to establish a fun agriculture program while also providing skills that students can later use in their careers. My main goal is to get enough soil testing kits so that students and work collaboratively to gain new skills in soil science and better understand nutrients required for plant growth in the soil. These supplies will help further develop skills in my students to allow them to be better members of society. Help me develop better citizens in my school and community. DONATE HERE Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference! The well-known 501(c)(3) Heifer International, which supports local sustainable agriculture throughout the world, has a Heifer USA division that works in this country to support small-scale and family agriculture. They have a YouTube channel with all kinds of information of use to small farms and local gardens, using their 1,200 acre working farm and training facility in Arkansas to illustrate. Here’s some of their content on soil testing. x x YouTube Video Alix Guerrier, the CEO of DonorsChoose, has issued a statement regarding the recent Supreme Court decision striking down Affirmative Action. It’s long enough to be impractical to quote here effectively, but I think it is worth reading. He has an unusually relevant view of the subject of creating equity, and I think offers a very clear account of what is at stake. DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education. Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in public school classrooms and libraries. Our conduit is DonorsChoose, a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau. Every Sunday, we focus on helping to fund projects in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required! Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 1051! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/10/2192456/-The-Inoculation-Project-9-10-2023-Examining-Soil-and-Rock-Part-2 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/