WATER QUALITY INDIANA

I started working on this project when I was in my third semester at Ball State University. It was started by two professors, one a geologist and the other a journalist, who wanted to teach scientists and journalists to communicate tough but important scientific information to the public. Water quality is one such issue, and since an environmental firm needed some testing on a local creek, our class took on the task.

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The project was a huge success. I stayed on the following semester to present at various conferences, and even came back the following semester through my work with a local land trust. This time the students were testing water quality and researching the impact of large log dams on a river that ran through several of the land trust's properties. I worked to connect the students and professors to local organizations as well as sites for testing. 

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After I graduated from Ball State I kept in touch with the professors from the project. They kept up with the project, which culminated in an interactive site and a documentary. "Downstream: Connecting Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico" has won several awards. It also led to the project being presented in the Indiana Statehouse, and even received notice from the White House under President Obama's Administration. You can view the website and documentary by clicking the button below.