A group of students from IES Aralar de Alegia, in collaboration with CSIC researcher Iker Aranjuelo Mitxelena, are studying air quality in the region.

2023/03/29 STEAM-Hezkuntza (Elhuyar Zientzia)

• STEAM-hezkuntza

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Numerous studies carried out in recent decades have confirmed the incidence of traffic in air quality, such is the case of students from the Aralar Institute of Alegia. This study is part of a project by CSIC researcher Iker Aranjuelo Mitxelena. Thus, young people are working on a real research project and are having the opportunity to get to know the daily lives of researchers.

Students study air quality in Alegia, Altzo and Amezketa using llollollobelarra (Lolium multiflorum) by biomonitoring. Plants can accumulate heavy metals from the air around them, and in particular young people will study it to observe air quality. To do this, the vegetation has been distributed in groups that have stayed 45 days in different settlements of the mentioned localities:near the highway, far from the highway, in the school… After this time, samples of plants will be taken and the laboratory will measure the heavy metals that have accumulated in the leaves.

Researchers at the center

On March 23, the center became a laboratory and the young people, with the help of researchers from CSIC, Iker Aranjuelo Mitxelena, Dorra Fakhet and Garazi Ezpeleta, and professor Xabi Herrera, carried out sampling and plant measurements, but also will have additional visits. When they have results of heavy metal accumulation, they will log in with the researchers to get conclusions from the results.

 

This project, promoted by Elhuyar, has the collaboration of the Department of Economic Promotion, Tourism and Rural Environment of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.