Cincinnati State to host environmental day for high school students March 25

March 24, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2015

CONTACT
Robert White
Media Relations/Communications Coordinator
(513) 569-4775 (office)
(859) 468-6640 (cell)
robert.white@cincinnatistate.edu

Protecting water resources will be the theme of a day-long environmental event for high school students
hosted by Cincinnati State Wednesday, March 25 at its Clifton campus.

Formally titled “SPLASH – Stopping Pollution Leaves All Streams Healthy,” the event is expected to
attract more than 150 students in the region for a series of hands-on activities and discussions.
“We’re trying to do our bit to teach the importance of protecting the water supply, and we’re also trying to
give students a sense of the career opportunities that are available in this field,” said Ann Fallon, an
instructor in Cincinnati State’s Environmental Engineering Technology (EVT) program and one of the
organizers of the event.

Dr. Ann Gunkel, chair of Cincinnati State’s EVT program, noted that protecting the nation’s water supply
is emerging as a huge economic issue, not just in the Midwest but across the country and in many parts
of the world. For a number of reasons, she noted, Cincinnati is emerging as a center for research and
commercial innovation in this arena.

Cincinnati State has long offered degree programs to train people for jobs in water treatment, wastewater
management and a variety of industrial positions involving water quality and environmental regulation.
The College recently expanded its offerings to take in stormwater management and strengthen
connections between its water programs and its horticulture, alternative energy and conservation
offerings.

Sponsors of the March 25 “SPLASH” Environmental High School Day include the EVT Program, the
Cincinnati State Environmental Club and Toyota.

During their visit to campus, students will be exposed to multiple types of issues that face the water
industry today. They include:

 Algae blooms on Lake Erie
 Protecting the water supply in the wake of toxic chemical spills into the Ohio River.
 Costs and consequences of federal court orders to eliminate sanitary sewage runoff into
waterways during periods of heavy rains.
 Ways that industry, and individuals, can conserve water and reduce the demand on treatment
plants.

Through activities such as small group experiments, discussions, and exercises, participating students
will gain a greater knowledge of the problems in general, and of their own impacts as individuals upon the
quality of water and our waterways, Fallon said.

For more information please contact Dr. Gunkel at (513) 569-1783 or ann.gunkel@cincinnatistate.edu
or Ann Fallon at (513) 569-1750 or ann.fallon@cincinnatistate.edu.

Schedule of Events

8:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. Presenters & Students arrive on campus
9 a.m. – 9:25 a.m. Welcome, Orientation (Main 344 – Conference Center)
9:30 a.m. – 11:55 p.m. Small group sessions (Classrooms throughout the college)
Noon – 12:20 p.m. Lunch (Main 344 – Conference Center)
12:20 p.m. – 1 p.m. Feature Presentation: Cincinnati State’s EVT Program and Environmental
Careers (Main 344 – Conference Center)
1 p.m. Wrap-up and Dismiss

Media coverage of the event is welcome. For information the day of the event please contact Cincinnati
State Media Relations Coordinator Robert White at (859) 468-6640 or Dr. Ann Gunkel at (859) 468-5165.

ABOUT CINCINNATI STATE
Cincinnati State (www.cincinnatistate.edu) enrolls about 10,600 students and offers more than 130
associate degree and certificate programs in business technologies, health and public safety, engineering
technologies, humanities and sciences and information technologies. Cincinnati State has one of the
most comprehensive co-op programs among two-year colleges in the U.S.

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