1. Apply free body diagrams, Newton's second law, and Bernoulli's equation to atmospheric transport of particulate matter pollutants.

2. Use the components of a vector to calculate magnitude and direction.

3. Explain how marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by wildfire smoke and why they are more vulnerable.

4. Create an infographic, comic, poem, short story,or other artifact to contribute to a zine.

5. Identify ways that individuals and communities can address the issues of wildfire smoke, especially those disproportionately affected.

This activity is a short project that I use in my first-year calculus-based physics class at a two-year college, with a class size of 24 students, as a "capstone" project near the end of the fluids section of the course. It could be used in any algebra-based physics course or any introductory physics course as well, because the math involved in the calculations that are part of this activity involves trigonometry only. It could also be adapted for use in a trigonometry course as a means for students to learn about vectors (see Teaching Notes and Tips section for more details). In the physics course where I use this activity, I teach three physics topic areas (fluids, waves and oscillations, and thermodynamics) and these can be taught in any order during the 10-week quarter (term) over which this course is taught. I use this project at the end of the fluids section, regardless of when during the quarter I teach it. The project requires about 30 minutes of class time, with 3 to 4 hours of work for students outside class time spread over about two weeks of the course. Prior to encountering this activity, students should be familiar with kinematics (distance, time, speed), free body diagrams, Newton's second law, and how to calculate the magnitude and angle of a vector from components. I use Canvas as my Learning Management System (LMS) for distributing assignments to students, receiving and offering feedback on their work, but the use of an LMS is not necessary, as you could print out handouts to distribute during class and collect written student work. Students make zines for this activity and there are many ways to make them, using the "booklet" template in Microsoft Word (in multiples of 4), Flipsnack or Issuu to make a flipbook, or entirely by hand with any materials used to create art, so students will need access to resources like this for making zines. This activity could be adapted to a high school physics or trigonometry course, as well as similar courses at a four-year college or university with a larger class size with support from an instructor or a graduate teaching assistant for certain parts of the activity (see Step 2 below).

Instructor Preparation: Check web links to videos and webpages used for the activity; prepare assignments by uploading to an online location where students can download it (I use Canvas) or printing them out and bringing them to class; gather any materials needed for making a zine

Step 1: Introduction to Wildfire Smoke and Climate Justice (30 minutes). Students complete this assignment on their own, outside class time, and they access and submit the assignment on Canvas (the LMS I use). This assignment sets students up for the physics activity that comes next (Step 2), as well as educates them about wildfire smoke so that they are ready for their civic engagement assignment (Step 3). I ask students to look at a graphic from an article, It's not your imagination, 'smoke season' has become real in Seattle, which shows them local wildfire smoke events from 2000 through 2022. There is a marked increase in 2017. They look at the graphic and share their experiences during one of these wildfire smoke events (or from a smoke event from somewhere else in the United States or the world.) Next, students watch a 5-minute-long video from PBS News Weekend, Wildfire smoke is hazardous even hundreds of miles away. Here's how to protect your health, which discusses how wildfire smoke can travel long distances, preparing for students for a physics activity in Step 2. (PBS is Public Broadcasting Service, an American television network.) As they watch the video, students answer questions related to the distance smoke travels, as well as the components of wildfire smoke that make it dangerous to human health, how people can protect themselves from wildfire smoke, types of people most vulnerable to wildfire smoke, who is disproportionately affected and why, and recommendations made by the American Lung Association for addressing the issue of wildfire smoke.

After viewing the video, students take a look at a very short U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage, Why Wildfire Smoke is a Health Concern, which shows what wildfire smoke is composed of, particularly the different sizes of the particles in smoke and which are of greatest concern for human health. Then, they answer questions about these things. Being aware that particles are made up of different size fractions sets students up for thinking about the physics of how different sizes of particulate matter pollution travel different distances in the atmosphere. Finally, students watch another 5-minute-long video, Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in Vancouver, which is embedded in an article by a local newsroom in Vancouver, Washington (WA) State (USA), which is located about 100 miles south of Olympia, WA, where my college is located. This video makes the issue of wildfire smoke more local for students and it also educates them about groups of people who are disproportionately affected by wildfire smoke (e.g., people of color, older people). As they watch this video, students answer questions about areas in WA state where people are more vulnerable to wildfire smoke, other sources of particulate matter beyond wildfire smoke, health issues and life expectancy, why certain groups are more vulnerable, and what WA state is doing to address the issue. The video mentions air filters you can build yourself using a box fan and a filter with a certain "MERV rating." (MERV is Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, which indicates an air filter's ability to capture airborne particles.) I ask students to do a quick internet search to research MERV rating and how is it relevant to the particle size of pollutants, which gets them thinking again about particles of different sizes.

Introduction to Wildfire Smoke.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 387kB Jun17 24)

Step 2: Physics of Wildfire Smoke (2 hours). The activity is broken into two parts. In Part 1, students calculate the minimum fluid flow speeds that will keep PM2.5 and PM10 particles suspended in the atmosphere by the wind. I spend about 30 minutes in class working with students to help them derive a formula for calculating minimum flow speed using a free body diagram, Newton's 2^ndLaw, and Bernoulli's equation. The calculation is a simple first model of the particles as small spheres, with diameter d and density rho_p, and only two layers of fluid (with density rho_f) (i.e., a stationary layer that is the height of the particle diameter and a layer moving at a speed v ). The flow is assumed to be laminar, so that we can use Bernoulli's Equation. Students start by drawing a free-body diagram for a particle, then use Newton's 2^nd Law and Bernoulli's equation to find an expression for the minimum fluid flow speed required to lift a particle (as a function of fluid density, particle density and particle diameter). Then, students choose two particle sizes (with diameter, d) for the PM2.5 and PM10 pollution they want to study. They calculate a minimum flow speed for each particle, which is the minimum speed at which the fluid (air) must have to move each particle. To do this, students have to look up numbers for the density (rho_p) of each particle and the density of air (rho_f). For Part 2, students study a wildfire smoke event that affected Olympia. They chose a year and a month for the event, as well as research the location of the wildfire that was the source of the smoke for the event. Students then use the minimum fluid flow speeds (wind speeds) they calculated in Part 1, for both a PM2.5 particle and a PM10 particle, to estimate how long it took each particle in the smoke to reach Olympia from its source and confirm the location of the source of the smoke during the month and year they chose. To do this, they use wind velocity from NOAA's Wind Climatology Map and vector calculations. (NOAA is National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a science-based federal agency in the United States.) I provide them with step-by-step instructions on how to use the map and draw their vector components to walk them through their calculations. I ask students to use their calculations to determine if the wind climatology maps confirm the location of the source of their smoke event, using a map to determine how far the smoke source was from Olympia, and the average wind speeds they calculated in Part 1, to estimate how long it took each particle in the smoke to reach Olympia from its source. I also ask them to think about a scenario in which they see on the morning news, during the same month this year or next year, that a fire has started at a similar location as the source of the smoke event they researched. I ask them if they think it is safe for them to exercise outside or for kids to participate in an afternoon soccer game, and when the air quality becomes unsafe (based on their calculations). I ask them to use Thurston County's Air Quality Guidelines to decide and to explain their answer. (Thurston County is where Olympia is located in WA state.)

Atmospheric Physics of Particulate Matter Pollution.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 431kB Jun17 24)

Step 3: Community Engagement With Zines (1 to 2 hours). The library at my college is starting a collection of zines. For this part of the activity, students create a zine about climate justice and wildfire smoke with a focus on raising awareness and educational outreach. Each student creates an infographic, comic, poem, short story, etc. that illustrates their learning about wildfire smoke and the message that they would like to communicate. We compile their creations into one zine for the class, which will be used to share their learning from this project with a wider audience, such as through our library's zine collection, digital versions or print copies to share and distribute locally, and maybe even (if students choose) at the annual Zine Fest in Olympia. Each zine includes an opening statement (sentence) from each student in the class that introduces the zine's vision and goals. I give students guidelines that each zine should include certain content or components (or an artistic or other type of portrayal of that content or components), including information about the sources of wildfire smoke in Washington state; the physics of how wildfire smoke travels (for a public audience) and the different types of particulate matter in wildfire smoke; the health effects of exposure to wildfire smoke pollutants; reasons why wildfire smoke is a climate justice issue due to the disproportionate impacts on communities of color and/or low-income communities; ways that individuals and communities can protect themselves; and ideas for how our college or local community could address the issue of wildfire smoke effects on people, especially those disproportionately affected. I offer students a lot of resources and examples, in some cases, to help them generate ideas for these components. Prior to creating their zines, I spend about five minutes in class coordinating with students to make sure that all of these zine components will be included as part of the class zine. Once students have completed their zines, we take a little bit of time during one of our class sessions for them to share their work. I include an example of a climate justice-focused zine. This one is not focused on wildfire smoke, but is a great example.

Community Engagement With Zines.docx (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 21kB Jun17 24)

Climate Justice Zine Example.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 17.9MB Jun12 24)

This activity could be adapted for use in a trigonometry course by leaving out Part 1 of Step 2 and instead giving students the minimum wind velocity needed to transport the particles, or the equation they need to use to calculate it and all the values of the constants, but still have them calculate the wind vectors.

It is important to do Part 1 of Step 2 during class time, which is the part where students calculate the minimum fluid flow speeds that will keep PM2.5 and PM10 particles suspended in the atmosphere by the wind. During class time, I help students derive a formula for calculating minimum flow speed using a free body diagram, Newton's 2^ndLaw, and Bernoulli's equation. They would struggle to do this on their own outside class time and I also want to make sure that everyone has the correct formula to complete Part 1 and connect it to Part 2 of Step 2.

This problem uses a model that's simple enough to solve in an introductory physics class. (Overly simple, forsure, but hopefully still somewhat realistic.) I intended to solve Bernoulli's equation for fluid velocity in terms of unspecified fluid density, particle density and particle diameter, leaving these quantities as letters rather than putting in numbers. That way we could use the result to investigate the effect on different types and sizes of particulates, as well as in either air flow or water flow.

Expanding on the problem to use it for water flow would allow students to contextualize the problem further by looking up flow speeds of different rivers to see which floodplains are vulnerable to which types of particulate pollution, which I expect to lead to discussions about unequal risks & effects from this pollution. Most people think of particulate matter as an air pollutant, but it is also a water pollutant that can harm ecosystems and organisms other than humans (e.g., Impacts of particulate matter (PM2.5) on the behavior of freshwater snail Parafossarulus striatulus).

The first time I used this in class, we started to work this problem in my introductory calculus-based physics class, but the algebra was unwieldy for most of the students, and we didn't end up finishing the problem. (I offered the option to finish the problem as an alternative to taking the test that week.) But the second time I used it, we did finish the problem. Choosing particulate size, particulate type and fluid type at the start, and looking up and plugging in numbers would allow my students to solve the equation more easily, because students are usually more comfortable solving equations with numbers than with letters.

In preparation for this assignment,during the fluids section of my physics course, the week prior to this activity, students learned about fluid statics (e.g., pressure and buoyant force). Students played with a buoyancy simulation and did an Archimedes' Principle lab. And then, during the fluid dynamics week, students played with fluid flow the "Flow" tab on PhET's Fluid Flow and Pressure simulation and a Fluid Dynamics and the Bernoulli Equation by oPhysics, and did a fluid flow lab, in addition to working on Step 1 and Step 2 of this activity.

1. Apply free body diagrams, Newton's second law, and Bernoulli's equation to atmospheric transport of particulate matter pollutants.

I assess this learning goal using Questions 1 and 2 in Part 1 of Step 2 (see "Atmospheric Physics of Particulate Matter Pollution.docx" Word file). I do formative assessment of this learning goal and offer feedback to students during class time, when I am helping them derive a formula for the minimum flow speed. I do a more summative assessment of this learning goal when students hand in their project (Step 2) for a grade. For the summative assessment, students earn full credit if they arrive at the correct answer and show all of their work. If a student does not arrive at the correct answer, I give them feedback and have them make corrections on their assignments and re-submit to me for credit.

2. Use the components of a vector to calculate magnitude and direction.

I assess this learning goal using Question 2 in Part 2 of Step 2 (see "Atmospheric Physics of Particulate Matter Pollution.docx" Word file). This is a summative assessment that I do when students hand in their project (Step 2) for a grade. For the summative assessment, students earn full credit if they arrive at the correct answer and show all of their work. If a student does not arrive at the correct answer, I give them feedback and have them make corrections on their assignments and re-submit to me for credit. 

3. Explain how marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by wildfire smoke and why they are more vulnerable.

I assess this learning goal using Questions 2(e) and 4(e) of Step 1 (see "Introduction to Wildfire Smoke.docx" Word file). This is a summative assessment that I do using the responses to these questions (and all the other questions in this assignment) that students upload to Canvas. Students learn about disproportionate impacts when they watch two of the videos I assign them for Step 2 (Wildfire smoke is hazardous even hundreds of miles away. Here's how to protect your health and Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in Vancouver). As long as a student's answer provides me with evidence that they have watched these videos, then they earn full credit. I do not give any credit for answers that are not relevant or based on information not given in these videos, as the purpose of these questions is to make sure that students watched the videos that I asked them to watch and were engaged while watching them.

4. Create an infographic, comic, poem, short story, or other artifact to contribute to a zine. 

I assess this learning goal using infographic, comic, poem, short story, or other artifact that each student submits to create the class zine in Step 3. To assess the zine, I use the Zine Guidelines in the "Community Engagement With Zines.docx" Word file, to make sure that each student's zine meets two or more of the components (a through g in under 3) in the Word file). This part of the activity is very creative, so there is a very wide range of expression that students can give to each of the components. As long as their zine contains these components and the representation is reasonable, students earn full credit for this.

5. Identify ways that individuals and communities can address the issues of wildfire smoke, especially those disproportionately affected.

I assess this learning goal, collectively for the class as a whole, using the zine that students collectively create for the class and Guidelines 3(f) and 3(g) in the "Community Engagement With Zines.docx" Word file. As with Learning Goal 4, there is a very wide range of expression that students can give to the examples I provided for (f) and (g), and they may also come up with their own. This assessment, for the class as a whole, is of a more formative nature, since I cannot hold the class responsible for the content of each zine. When we take time during one of our class sessions for students to share their work, once each student has finished their contribution to the class zine, there is time for formative feedback if there is something that I need to address.

It's not your imagination, 'smoke season' has become real in Seattle

Wildfire smoke is hazardous even hundreds of miles away. Here's how to protect your health, (5 minute video, PBS News Weekend)

Why Wildfire Smoke is a Health Concern (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage)

Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in Vancouver (5-minute-long video)

MERV rating (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) webpage)

NOAA's Wind Climatology Map (NOAA is National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a science-based federal agency in the United States.)

Thurston County's Air Quality Guidelines

Impacts of particulate matter (PM2.5) on the behavior of freshwater snail Parafossarulus striatulus (scientific paper)

Zine Library Guide (Purdue University)

Mapping Race and Segregation in Olympia and Thurston County, Washington, 1980-2020

Climate Justice Alliance

AirNow (U.S. EPA air quality website)

PurpleAir (privately-owned air quality website)

Schools as Community Cleaner Air and Cooling Centers (EPA website)

Filter fan kits distributed by the Puget Sound Clear Air Agency

GotGreen in South Seattle

Low-cost sensors are helping communities find gaps in air quality data

Bay Area groups make air quality sensors more accessible in low-income areas