Keith Bamberger, 828-296-4553, keith.bamberger@deq.nc.gov
AQ-IQ Air Quality Contest for Seventh Grade Students
Air Quality Contest for Seventh Grade Students

Author: Keith Bamberger

Provided by: NC Division of Air Quality

The annual North Carolina AQ-IQ Contest for seventh grade combines S.T.E.A.M. education and project-based learning with student creativity to teach air pollution science to students across the state.

The AQ-IQ Contest
For Seventh Grade Students
STEAM Learning for over 10 years


The 2023-24 AQ-IQ Contest will open in September for the 2023-2024 school year. The contest gives these students an opportunity to learn about air quality and think about solutions to air pollution. It puts students in charge of creating a project to educate others about an air quality problem.

It is our 10th year of a Statewide AQ-IQ Contest
In 2003 AQ-IQ Contest was invented by Margie Meares, Executive Director of the Clean Air Community Trust. Seventh grade students from every middle school in Buncombe County turned in posters about air pollution. In 2010, the Clean Air Community Trust gave the contest to the North Carolina Division of Air Quality. In 2013, we had the first statewide contest.

The Division of Air Quality provides two major resources to help students learn (found on the sidebar).

The Teacher Handout: How To Guide, that provides some guidance to teachers new to the AQ-IQ Contest.
and
The Student Worksheet, a step-by-step process for student teams to research, choose, and build their projects.

In 2023 -2024 we also have three special award categories:

Each year the AQ-IQ contest gives out special awards for projects that meet one of the following categories:
• Wildfires and Planned Burns
• Electrify Everything
• The Air Quality Forecast 

Project Examples
To see AQ-IQ video project winners from past years, visit the N.C. Air Awareness YouTube page.
Watch our video to hear from teachers about why the AQ-IQ contest works in their classrooms: https://youtu.be/ArtLhL1z1hY

DEADLINE: Projects will be due March 11, 2024, but can be turned in at any time.

AQ-IQ Student Entry Form: https://ncdaq.wufoo.com/forms/z1f26nga0d7yioc/

2022-2023 AQ-IQ Contest
Award Ceremony and Annual Review


On June 8, the NC Air Awareness program hosted a virtual AQ-IQ Contest Recognition Ceremony for the 2022 - 2023 school year. We recognized 54 students for 21 different projects on air pollution challenges and solutions.

The Ceremony started with a welcome from Secretary Elizabeth Biser of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Video
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VyJ-_1deoc

We recognized the best projects in each category: Artistic; Minecraft, Interactive and Games, Posters, and Videos. Each project is evaluated on facts and bibliography, appearance and grammar, creativity, and quality as an education project. To see a complete list of the 2022-2023 winners, open the 2022 – 2023 AQ_IQ Contest Winner file in the sidebar.

The Margie Meares Award for best AQ-IQ Project in 2022 - 2023 is

2023 Margie Meares Award for the Best in SHow
Paving a Path for Cleaner Air
https://youtu.be/8hB17I-d-MI

Contact:  air.awareness@deq.nc.gov
in the East Janina.millis@deq.nc.gov
in the West: keith.bamberger@deq.nc.gov

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality has many FREE educational tools and resources ranging from classroom visits, zoom programs, on-line videos and curricula, and contests. We have an information request form located here: https://ncdaq.wufoo.com/forms/sicwtai1tdk97b

 


website: NC DAQ AQ-IQ Resource Page

2024 AQ-IQ Prize package
All contest winners will receive items similar to these. The top projects may also receive an AirZooka, weather station, or other scientific tools.



AQ-IQ Logo

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Costs: Free

Resource Types: COVID-19 Education Support, Contest/Award, Educational Materials & Curricula

Audience Served: Home Schools, Private Schools, Public Schools, Scouts/Youth Groups

Age Groups: 7th Grade

Environmental Focus:
             High: Air, Climate Change/Weather, Creative Arts, Energy, Environmental Health, Environmental Justice, Pollution, Population, Sustainability
             Medium: Conservation, Consumer Education, Cultural Awareness, Place-based Education, Recycling/Waste Management
             Low: Animals/Wildlife, Career Choices, Endangered Species, Habitats/Ecosystems, Litter, Team-building/Problem-solving, Trees/Forests

Academic Focus:
             High: Arts - Visual, Health, Science, Technology
             Medium: Social Studies
             Low: Math

State Standards Met: NC - North Carolina Standard Course of Study

State Standard Comments: Science: 7.P.2: Understand forms of energy, energy transfer and transformation and conservation in mechanical
systems.
• 7.E.1: Understand how the cycling of matter (water and gases) in and out of the atmosphere relates to
Earth’s atmosphere, weather and climate and the effects of the atmosphere on humans.
Technology: 7.SI.1: Evaluate information resources based on specific criteria
• 7.TT.1: Use technology and other resources for assigned tasks.
o 7.TT.1.1: Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to access information.
o 7.TT.1.2: Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to organize information (e.g.
graphic organizers, databases, spreadsheets, and desktop publishing).
o 7.TT.1.3: Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design products to share
information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations,
• 7.RP.1: Apply a research process to complete given tasks.
o 7.RP.1.1: Implement a collaborative research process activity that is group selected.
o 7.RP.1.2: Implement an independent research process activity that is student selected.
Soical Studies: o 7.E.1.1: Explain how competition for resources affects the economic relationship among nations
(e.g. colonialism, imperialism, globalization and interdependence).
o 7.E.1.4: Explain how personal financial decision-making impacts quality of life (e.g. credit,
savings, investing, borrowing and giving).

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