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In the news: |
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Dobie High School’s science program has earned national recognition as
they were the only school in Texas to receive a $10,000 grant from
Toyota TAPESTRY program recently. The grant will help fund the science students’ bio-diesel project, which is geared toward learning about energy, conservation and the environment. Earlier this year, the Pasadena ISD Education Foundation awarded $5,000 to help start the project. The bio-diesel fuel study will be conducted over the course of one year. One of the key components of the fuel will be the waste cooking oil from the high school’s cafeteria fryers. Dobie science students will take that oil and combine it with other chemicals that would eventually form into diesel fuel. This will potentially save the district money because it currently pays to have the waste cooking oil disposed. Dobie science instructor Jeanne Parlangeli said that she is in the process of negotiating with an auto dealer to have a used diesel vehicle donated to the school to test the project’s hypothesis. “The kids will be able to actually see what they are learning in the classroom can be built on and used in the real world,” she said. “This will bring that vividly in front of their eyes.” Parlangeli also stressed that all students are invited to participate in the program. “This program would be a good stepping stone to help raise their interest,” she said. “With the participation and working with different people they can learn so much.” The project will also include tests of Glycerin, a waste product that is formed after the chemical reactions occur from the fuel itself. Parlangeli said the product will be formed into hand soap. She added that the students will grow plants such as spearmint in the school’s greenhouse to add a fragrance to the soaps. The Toyota TAPESTRY is a program open to science teachers who teach kindergarten through the 12th grade. The winners of the grants are selected by each applicant’s project’s ability to demonstrate creativity, involve risk-taking, possessing a visionary quality, and model a novel way of presenting science. In the future, Parlangeli wants continue the project after the length of time has completed. She has aspirations to get the community involved in this project by contacting local businesses for their support of the project. |