Water Quality Indiana

In this interdisciplinary project, students have explored and examined local waterways across Indiana, collecting and analyzing water samples and documenting sites selected by community partners such as FlatLand Resources and Red-tail Land Conservancy. The Water Quality Indiana (WQI) program, which has attracted students from as many as 6 majors (journalism, telecommunications, geology, biology, chemistry, NREM), has led to Ball State University Immersive-Learning and Council On The Environment Green Initiative Awards. It has also provided 17 students with the opportunity to present at 14 refereed conferences, and it has led to peer-reviewed scholarship and external grants. In Summer 2016, the program expanded to include students who recently graduated from the Indiana Academy, making WQI inter-institutional. The Summer-Fall 2016 iteration led to the student-produced documentary production “Downstream,” connecting Indiana to hypoxia effects in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This production earned 2 regional Emmy nominations and 4 Aurora Awards.