The issues related to pollution and environmental sustainability have become urgent issues, on which the entire European and world society is called to reflect. The access to fresh and clean water is one of the most important problems mankind will face in the future. In all European regions water pollution e.g. by industry and agriculture is a major issue which - because water and pollution do not stop at borders - can only be dealt with on a European level. There will be several concrete results of the project. The major product is an underwater robot which will examine water samples at the spot. It will be developed by students from Italy, Germany, Poland and Romania. In the course of the project students will improve various skills and VET competences. They will be sensitized for environmental issues in general and water pollution in particular. More than 100 students and about 20 teachers representing various subjects are involved in project work. There is a large number of activities like international meetings, examining water quality, getting information on how to examine water quality, how to construct modules that will be assembled to an underwater robot, documenting work for the project’s website, designing a logo, evaluating e.g. water samples, making presentations. Besides working in subjects there will be longer interdisciplinary project phases during which team work making action plans will be essential. At the end there will be a functioning underwater robot which will examine the water quality and eventually pollution in the chosen stretches of water. Students as well as people from the community involved in the project will develop a growing awareness of ecological problems and how they can be investigated. Beside the communities, who will benefit by the examination of their waters, schools will be able to improve the quality especially of their STEM subjects.
The issues related to pollution and environmental sustainability have become urgent issues, on which the entire European and world society is called to reflect. The access to fresh and clean water is one of the most important problems mankind will face in the future. In all European regions water pollution e.g. by industry and agriculture is a major issue which - because water and pollution do not stop at borders - can only be dealt with on a European level. The following results were achieved in the course of the project: - The main result of our project is an underrwater robot, planned and produced in joint actvities of all partner schools, which examines water samples and detects pollution in chosen stretches of water. It was developed and produced by students from Italy, Germany, Poland and Romania. - In the course of the project students improved various skills and VET competences. They were sensitized for environmental issues in general and water pollution in particular. - More than 50 students and about 20 teachers representing various subjects were involved in project work. - There was a large number of activities like international meetings, examining water quality, getting information on how to examine water quality, how to construct modules that will be assembled to an underwater robot, documenting work for the project’s website, designing a logo, evaluating e.g. water samples, making presentations. - Besides working in subjects there were longer interdisciplinary project phases during which team work was essential. Students as well as people from the community involved in the project developed a growing awareness of ecological problems and how they can be investigated. - Due to the lockdown from March till June 2020, an extensive testing period could not be carried out as originally planned. Thus, no significant amount of samples of water qualities could be gathered in order to set up a database. However, since all schools now have the necessary equipment and know-how, they are able to use it in future lessons.