Literature v3 · Research topic

Does extreme heat increase drugs and chemicals in our wastewater?

Combine temperature, pollution, and census data to see if heat waves hit low-income communities harder—revealed by what we flush.

Data DetectiveEnvironmental Justice AdvocatePublic Health Explorer

Zero-cost dataPollution and impacts

8 weeksIntermediate$0 public datasets · Supplies: laptop onlyPortfolio 6/10

Why this matters

What if the water we flush could reveal hidden environmental injustices? By combining wastewater data with climate and census records, we might uncover how pollution and heat burden disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.

Project scores

Originality6/10

Feasibility7/10

Impact7/10

Essay value5/10

Rigor6/10

Difficulty

Intermediate

This project requires comfort with basic statistics and data analysis. Over 8 weeks, you will merge public datasets (wastewater, climate, census) and perform correlation analysis. No lab work needed, but you must be organized and able to interpret results critically.

3 of 5 difficulty

Strengths

Combines environmental science with social justice
Uses publicly available data, no lab required
Addresses a timely and relevant public health issue

Skills built

Zero-cost data

Research gap

Curriculum alignment

Pollution and impactsWork, energy, and powerData and informationScientific foundations of psychology

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