Breakout Box: Environmental Mission

Students enter the Port of Corpus Christi’s intern headquarters where they will need to work together to solve puzzles using a project file that was left behind by their supervisor. Can they plan the project and meet their deadline in time? Time starts as soon as they arrive.

The Environmental Mission takes high school students on an immersive adventure using computational thinking and the practices of science and engineering to crack a series of puzzles to help the Environmental Team decide on mitigations for a new client site. From the moment they step inside this custom-built 22-foot shipping container, students experiment with augmented reality, game-based learning, and touchscreen walls, building their critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Learning Objectives

Standards Alignments + Connections

Next Generation Science Standards Connections

HS-ESS3-6: Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationship among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity

HS-ETS1-3: Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Connections

BIO.13.D: Explain how environmental change, including change due to human activity, affects biodiversity and analyze how changes in biodiversity impact ecosystem stability.

ENV.11.A: Evaluate the negative effects of human activities on the environment, including overhunting, overfishing, ecotourism, all-terrain vehicles, and personal watercraft;

ENV.11.B: evaluate the positive effects of human activities on the environment, including habitat restoration projects, species preservation efforts, nature conservancy groups, game and wildlife management, and ecotourism

Virginia Science Standards of Learning Connections

BIO.8.D: Natural events and human activities influence local and global ecosystems and may affect the flora and fauna of Virginia.

ES.10.E: Human actions, including economic and public policy issues, affect oceans and the coastal zone including the Chesapeake Bay.

Activity Components

Activity

Through progressive gameplay, students will focus on measures to protect wildlife in the area, diminish nuisances for residents, and reduce emissions. Participants will explore the different mitigation strategies for each and assess the strategy’s ability to meet the goal while also meeting certain criteria (cost, species population, and emissions). Puzzles include a planning simulation, and selecting from different materials, season, and environmental mitigation options to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan to meet the goals provided. Students also analyze and interpret data as they learn about emissions using graphs and migration patterns using augmented reality.

Post Laboratory Engagement

As a follow up to this game, we recommend our activity, Acoustic Shields.

This will allow students to learn more about the engineering design process and how acoustic shields can be used to limit underwater construction noise.

Additional Resources

In numbers, the Port of Corpus Christi finds strength… but in its people, lies its’ purpose. The STEM jobs of the future have yet to be imagined.

Through the Port of Corpus Christi PORT-Able Learning Lab, we will help students build the problem-solving and critical thinking skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow. Unique, hands-on learning gives students the confidence needed to succeed in STEM careers.

STEM includes both traditional pathways such as engineering to careers that keep the Port running such as accounting, communications, IT, and human resources. The list is endless! And we’ve got nearly a hundred thousand local jobs waiting for these innovators of tomorrow. Learn more about Port of Corpus Christi careers >

Keep Going! Your Students May Also Enjoy...

Emerging Leaders in STEM

Welcome to the Emerging Leaders in STEM resource center! This is where you’ll find everything you need for this year’s Emerging Leaders in Biotechnology program. Whether you’re preparing for your next session or reviewing what you’ve learned, this page is for you.

Coast to Coast: Maintaining Healthy Habitats

In this design challenge, students will work together to design a tool or process that successfully removes an invasive species from an ecosystem while minimizing harm to the native species and environment.

Renewable Innovators

In this challenge, students will practice problem-solving and collaboration skills as they design, build, and test their wind turbine prototypes. Students will explore the role of renewable energy in powering communities, learn about energy transfer and mechanical systems, and gain insight into the importance of sustainable energy solutions.