Summary
This paper describes how systems thinking has been incorporated into environmental science and chemistry courses, by including the use of project-based learning and community-service-based learning focused on planetary boundaries, green chemistry, and the UN sustainable development goals. Suggestions for how systems thinking can be introduced in a course are also presented.
This community college undergraduate research program was developed at Pasadena City College (PCC) to provide an early career research experience for underrepresented students in the physical sciences in order to expose them to scientific research with a broader impact in terms of renewable energy, sustainability, and emerging scientific technologies.
Community college students act as role models in outreach as they teach chemistry using a systems thinking approach, connect sustainability to STEM careers that can make a positive impact on local communities, and show underrepresented groups that they are needed in these disciplines.
In the outreach project, which was developed by the undergraduate research group, engaging laboratory activities connected to planetary boundaries, to drive in-depth discussion of ideas related to sustainability science, have been used. Topics such as renewable energy, climate change, ocean acidification, sustainable agriculture and engineering, biopolymers, nanotechnology, and sustainable materials are explored. Some of the inquiry-based activities and laboratories used in outreach and how systems thinking is accessed as a resul,t are listed in the article.
This project inspires enthusiasm for research early in students’ education and informs their decision to pursue a career in STEM. In addition to laboratory-based research, community college students participate in science outreach and education, which improves their scientific communication and introduces them to effective teaching practices, such as active learning. Undergraduate research projects are translated into outreach lessons and activities designed to teach younger students about chemistry and how it relates to sustainability and society.
An example of these activities is the development of a method to make paints from natural resources using green chemistry which is transposed into a lesson to teach the chemistry of natural products extraction, sustainable materials, and the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry.
Moreover, environmental courses developed at PCC using the UN sustainable development goals as a scaffold are reported.
Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
This paper proposes approaches and methodologies to reimagine higher education. It deals with “interdisciplinarity”, “systems thinking” and “sustainable development”.
By integrating planetary boundaries, green chemistry, and the UN sustainable development goals, authors use a systems thinking approach in undergraduate education and outreach to a range of diverse populations to drive discussion, exploration of scientific principles, and teach students how they can use chemistry to solve the distinctive challenges of the anthropocene. Interdisciplinary research projects employ critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity as part of the scientific method. Translating undergraduate research in nanotechnology, renewable energy, and sustainability into lesson plans and engaging in outreach to diverse populations promotes equity in science education and encourages underrepresented groups to seek careers in a scientific field. Engaging interdisciplinary laboratories used in outreach, such as the synthesis of algae biodiesel, making paints from natural resources, sustainable agriculture and engineering, and DNA origami, access all aspects of systems thinking. Using systems thinking as a framework in science education and outreach teaches students the significance and relevance of chemistry while creating a platform for women and underrepresented groups to learn how important their representation is to contribute to a sustainable, equitable future.
