“The health of our rivers workshop” in the program “Inclusive campus, campus with no limits, 2022”

Regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included the 2030 Agenda, “The health of our rivers workshop” was developed at the laboratory of Analytical Chemistry of the University of Burgos on 13 July 2022. This workshop was part of the “Inclusive campus, campus with no limits (2019)”, organized by the public universities of Castilla y León. The “Inclusive campus” is a program of Fundación ONCE and the Ministerio de Universidades, which aims to promote inclusive education and reduce the school dropout of students with disabilities, as well as to increase the active presence of students with disabilities in the university and involve the universities in their stay in the educational system.

 

In this workshop, students with and without disabilities, aged 15-17, completed some simple experiments on the subject of environmental awareness in relation to the quality of surface waters. The development of these experiments led to approach the importance of growing vegetation in the bank of the rivers, the presence of surfactants and other contaminants, water treatment, a responsible water use… The determination of parameters such as conductivity, pH or hardness, among others, allowed the students to establish the quality of waters from different sources.

 

In the framework of the Erasmus+ project, some of the experimental devices were adapted for visually impaired students and a Spanish sign language interpreter was available for the deaf and hard of hearing students. The students worked in pairs to promote collaboration, organization and distribution of tasks. The activity also served to sensitize students without disabilities to the needs of students with a certain degree of physical or intellectual disability.