Project Overview
Drinking Water Kit Components
Teachers will use their classroom award (invoice template below) to purchase kit components. A manila envelope with a “seal and peel” or clasp closure will suffice to hold all the components.
- 50 mL conical tubes (these self-standing tubes might be convenient!)
- Parafilm-3 squares
- Envelopes (to hold kit components)
- Labels and magnets, contact us at arsenic@mdibl.org; we will send them to you!
- Parent letter with permission form (printed on back or separate sheet, see below)
- Sample Datasheet (see below)
- Sample Collection Protocol (see below)
Classroom Award Invoice Template
Every school will receive a classroom budget of $500 for kit components and other supplies.
Informational Letter and Permissions
Print the letter below and include it in the drinking water kit with other components.
Collecting 50 mL Samples for Analysis at Dartmouth
The protocol below can be sent home with the tubes, informational letter, and magnet. It explains how to collect a sample.
Sample Tracking and Registration
Sample registration on Anecdata is mandatory. You or your students should register samples into the All About Arsenic project on Anecdata.
NEW THIS YEAR: It is the teacher’s responsibility to track samples and double-check that every single sample shipped is registered in Anecdata and accompanied by a signed permission slip with the sample number. The datasheets will be sent to the MDI Biological Laboratory rather than Dartmouth, as was done in the past. Information on the datasheet must match the sample registration in Anecdata.
Use the Excel sheet below to keep track of who gets which sample number and if the sample is returned. This is very important in managing this project.
New This Year: The second tab on the sheet will serve as your manifest for shipping!
Shipping to Dartmouth College
When you’ve finished collecting samples, you can find sample submission dates and shipping addresses to Dartmouth in our SEPA LabCentral Workspace.
Make sure each sample is appropriately wrapped with parafilm (around the perimeter of the cap) to prevent spills. Pack your samples as tightly as you can so they don’t roll around. You could put them in Ziploc bags or stuff the remainder of your package with newsprint or bubble wrap. Samples must be shipped with signed permission slips. If these are missing, samples will not be analyzed. Include in the box a copy of the worksheet in the Teacher Sample Tracking Excel file labeled Manifest for Shipping to Dartmouth.
NEW THIS YEAR
Teachers are responsible for assuring that all information on datasheets is entered into the All About Arsenic project in Anecdata before shipping. The datasheets are no longer going to Dartmouth; they are being sent to MDIBL for archiving. Unless there is a manifest acknowledging that samples have been entered into Anecdata and that all permission forms have sample numbers and have been signed, the samples cannot be analyzed.
How to Check Results
Case Study
At the end of the project, you’ll write up a case study. Case studies will be posted on the website to help future teachers, will provide a record of the variety of curriculum and activities students took part in, and will document the community meetings. Check out the Case Studies tab for a template.