PublicSensors.Org is Live!

For the past few years, our lab has been involved in developing and teaching an undergraduate course in which students build their own microcontroller sensors for taking oceanographic measurements such as temperature, light, wave height, and bottom depth. Much of this work started with the Olympic Stem Pathways Partnership (OSPP) which put microcontroller sensors in the hands of K-12 educators and provided training for using the materials in their own classrooms.

This outreach work has continued, spurring a course in “Oceanography in Service of Society” in which undergraduates students used microcontroller sensors and collaborated with stakeholders (educators and aquaculturists) to provide data acquisition for industry and education applications. Following the work of OSPP, our lab has continued to bring environmental sensors to high schools in Western Washington, providing educational materials for teachers and building connections between ocean research and STEM classrooms.

The culmination of these many activities is Public Sensors, an educational initiative that, in partnership with local education organizations, provides sensor kits for students of all ages to build their own environmental sensors and explore the world around them. We’ve been developing kits and handouts, with additional features such as tutorial videos in both English and Spanish coming soon, in order to increase equity and access to environmental sensing, data science, and computer programming. With new sensor activities being developed and a textbook for those looking to explore the intricacies of sensor building, we’re hoping to provide an educational resource with relatable and real-world applications and establish a community for those looking to interact and share their explorations and findings.