Eco-STEM – Ecosystemic Magazine

Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Agroforestry

4Feb

By Alma BielenbergNo Comments

Eco-STEM

Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Agroforestry

Alma Bielenberg, Sidwell Friends School Endless stretches of corn and grain illustrate the American farming ideal, but mass plantings of a single crop are not effective nor enduring compared to less mechanized methods. An ancient farming practice, agroforestry, provides an alternative. As Earth’s human population grows, nourishing the world poses a new challenge. To make the most of the land around us for the longest possible time, nature’s resilience and adaptability could serve as a guide. Reintroducing trees into farming practices is one way to maximize efficiency and ensure sustainability to fulfill our need for food. Agroforestry, a low-tech and traditional farming practice already used in one billion hectares of land worldwide, can be easily applied to our farmland for the b...

Apocalyptic: Northern Thailand’s Season of Smoke

22Jan

By Nachel SuwansathienNo Comments

Eco-STEM

Apocalyptic: Northern Thailand’s Season of Smoke

By Nachel Suwansathien– Fridays for Future, International and Fridays for Future Newsletter Contributor You peer through the pane of a closed window and place your hand upon the glass. The blazing sun outside seems to scorch the earth, but all you feel is a gentle warmth against your palm. Outside, everything is gray. This is the driest season of the year, and anything that was once green has by now drooped and withered. Heavy, choking smog blankets the world, and everything seems to become one concrete-colored urban landscape. Even the sky is reduced to dreary gray, with touches of blue occasionally emerging. It is unlikely to be truly blue again for several months, until the seasonal rain breaks. You step outside, fumbling to get your N95 mask into position. On the worst of days, a si...

Technology’s Role in Coexisting with the Natural World

30Dec

By Sophia StylianosNo Comments

Eco-STEM

Technology’s Role in Coexisting with the Natural World

By Sophia Stylianos, Sidwell Friends School In a world that is constantly changing and being destroyed due to human activity, we are led to wonder how we can help and when our time eventually will run out. While scientists continuously say that our time is coming, that we must change our ways. Sure, we have all heard the solutions– things such as electric cars, windmills and planting more trees– but what does a sustainable world really look like? We need a world where we aren't just “reducing our carbon footprint” but actively living in unison with the earth without constantly destroying it. One of the biggest ways we are going to be able to reach a healthy world, both for our species and every other species, is through technology. Research is constantly being done to understand the env...

My experience: A Trout Unlimited culvert study

16Sep

By Kate BattagliaNo Comments

Eco-STEM

My experience: A Trout Unlimited culvert study

Kate Battaglia EBS CONTRIBUTOR BIG SKY – In March, Nathan Browne set out on a float trip on the Smith River west of Helena, not knowing where his passion might take him. Browne, an avid fisherman and a senior at Lone Peak High School, was accompanied by his father and members of the conservation group Trout Unlimited on the trip. Browne was inspired by TU’s conservation efforts, involving the preservation of aquatic environments within rivers. TU members on the float trip later placed him in contact with the group’s Project Manager Jeff Dunn. Together Browne and Dunn crafted a service project allowing Big Sky community members to actively help aid in the preservation of aquatic ecosystems within Montana, specifically looking at fish and culverts, tunnels that carr...

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals & Their Effect on the Environment

20Jun

By Olivia ONo Comments

Eco-STEM

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals & Their Effect on the Environment

By Olivia O'Donnell, Sidwell Friends School Over the past few decades, scientists have begun to understand the dangers of synthetic chemicals. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring alerted the world to the ramifications of pesticide use in 1962 and since then, there has been increased research into man-made chemicals and their harmful effects on our environment. One group of these chemicals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have made their way into local waterways and pose a major threat to many aquatic ecosystems. EDCs are chemicals that affect the body’s endocrine system, which controls reproduction, growth, and development. EDCs mimic the hormones used by the endocrine system, leading to abnormal processes and side effects in the body such as asthma, autoimmune diseases, learning di...

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Climate Movement

20Jun

By Michael YNo Comments

Eco-STEM

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Climate Movement

By Michael Yao, Sidwell Friends School Artificial Intelligence is an incredibly powerful tool that has garnered a somewhat infamous reputation for its role in the targeted ads and eerily specific content recommendations of the modern world. However, AI’s aptitude at solving complex problems and rapid adaptation can also be used in more positive and impactful ways as well. One area that has attracted particular interest is its potential role to help resolve the climate crisis. In fact, research into how AI can be harnessed to address climate change has already begun. Dr. David Rolnick (Assistant Professor of Computer Science at McGill University) and his work have been at the forefront of this push. Together with several other researchers, Rolnick co-authored a paper investigati...

Spotlight on Engineering: Hydroelectric Energy and How it Works

20Jun

By Kiran MNo Comments

Eco-STEM

Spotlight on Engineering: Hydroelectric Energy and How it Works

By Kiran Mahurkar, Sidwell Friends School What is Hydroelectric Energy? Hydroelectric energy is any method that uses the movement of water to generate electricity for use. It can also be referred to as hydropower, hydroelectric power, and hydroelectricity. How Does it Work? The most common method of generating hydroelectricity is by placing turbines, devices that turn rotational energy into electricity through the use of magnets, in a place where water is flowing quickly, usually accompanied by rotors. There are three main methods that use this process to generate hydroelectricity. In the simplest method, known as “run-of-the-river,” turbines are placed in a river, usually on a dam that only partially confines water. As the water flows through the turbines, electricity is...