The fragile environment of southeastern Massachusetts is threatened by the extensive pollution at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) SuperFund site on Cape Cod. In an attempt to turn this potential disaster into a success story, a group of state and Federal legislators initiated a state appropriation to encourage three state institutions to develop an environmental education and training program that would prepare students to enter the job market or to continue their education in a baccalaureate program. Students enrolled in the program have the opportunity to intern with companies working on the clean-up project at the MMR as well as other environmentally related positions. The new equipment provides the collaborating institutions with the necessary laboratory instrumentation and computer software to meet this challenge. The laboratory experiments are designed to incorporate the new instrumentation in specific courses in a way that stimulates students and exposes them to real-world field experience. The targeted population of older students and women who often lack the confidence and academic background to enroll in science/technology programs is far more likely to succeed using a hands-on methodology. Faculty at each of the institutions are committed to the creation and subsequent refinement of laboratory experiments that teach the essential scientific concepts and their application in the field. Assessment of student response and success with these exercises can be carefully measured: employers of interns can be surveyed regarding student performance, and intern supervisors and other industry representatives acting in an advisory capacity have agreed to assist in an on-going review of the relevance of the laboratory exercises and teaching techniques from the industry point of view. Dissemination is to occur within the network of Massachusetts community colleges and nationally through the Partners in Environmental Technology Education publications and on-line database. *
