JUNIOR Environmental Engineering STEM Project: The Algal Bloom Challenge



Imagine looking at a local river and seeing the water turn a thick, neon green. That is the image we presented to our 5th graders to kick off their latest science unit. We challenged them to become environmental engineers. In this post, I want to share a STEM project I designed with my colleagues, Jessica Jordon and Courtney Gienapp, where students didn’t just study algal blooms — they designed real solutions to stop them.

To kick things off, we started with a “provocation.” We showed students images of algal blooms in Singapore and around the world. Although we couldn’t go on a field trip this year due to restrictions, the visual impact of the discolored water was enough to generate curiosity.

The Inquiry Cycle

This provocation led to three main categories of student questions:

  1. The Cause: What is algal bloom and what causes it?
  2. Plant Growth: What makes the algae grow so fast?
  3. Consequences: How does this contamination affect the ecosystem?

Students researched how nutrient-rich runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers) enters water systems through soil erosion and rain. They compared healthy environments with algal bloom environments to understand the disruption in the ecosystem. This research allowed them to “zoom out” and see the complex interactions between the atmosphere (rain), geosphere (soil erosion), and hydrosphere (river).

The Engineering Challenge

We wanted students to apply their science learning in a meaningful way. The driving question was: How might we reduce the development of algal blooms?

Using a scenario of farmland next to a river, students had to define the problem, success criteria, and constraints. Most students focused on preventing soil erosion to stop the nutrients from reaching the water.

Prototyping and Iteration

Students engaged in divergent thinking to brainstorm creative ideas, followed by convergent thinking to select the most feasible, simple, and cost-effective solutions.

They built prototypes — mostly retaining walls, geotextiles, or filtration systems — and put them to the test in our testing stations. The documentation process was key here. Students used Seesaw to record their tests, analyze the results, and identify failure points. They had to explain why a prototype failed and plan specific iterations to improve it.

Final Thoughts

While we couldn’t hold a community expo this year, the classroom presentations were fantastic. It was rewarding to see students not only understand the science of ecosystems but apply engineering principles to protect them.

If you are interested in the full breakdown of how I developed this project, check out the link in the video description!

Resources

Weathering and Erosion: Crash Course Kids #10.2 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Iak3Wvh9c What’s an engineer? — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owHF9iLyxic Defining the problem — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyTEfLaRn98 Defining Success — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyFUqFQfl30 Algal Bloom — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algal_bloom

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