Dr. Smith Goes to Fourth Grade

Dr. Virginia Smith, Associate Professor of Water Resources in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Villanova University, visited fourth grade science classes to talk about her work in urban flooding and researching mitigation solutions and water management. She spoke to the students about water systems, how rivers change with climate, gardens that help mitigate runoff, and about rain gardens both create biodiversity and decrease the temperature of cities. She engaged the students in demonstrations on rainfall in urban areas and they discussed ways individuals can help the watershed in any area. Dr. Smith also noted that the new Lower School playscape will have rain gardens and is designed for runoff mitigation. Lower School Science teacher Colby Van Alen shares, “Before Dr. Smith’s visit, 4th graders explored how land changes shape without human and animal interference. This led to on-campus walks where numerous discoveries were made, such as signs of water runoffs. It was wonderful to have Dr. Smith in the classroom to deepen their inquiry-based learning in this area.”