Exploring Environmental Health Hazards with STYLE (Sustained Training for Youth Leadership in the Environment) is a place-based and phenomena-driven high school program that engaged students through classroom hands-on discoveries, field investigations and a PAID Field Mentorship program to investigate the effects of environmental hazards on the health and resiliency of their local communities. 

Through a National Academies of Science Gulf Research Program grant, Artist Boat led classroom workshops combining art and science about blue carbon and coastal prairies. Students then paddled tandem kayaks along the Coastal Heritage Preserve’s margins and used scientific equipment to collect data. The second field adventure allowed the students to explore and restore coastal prairies while learning how land stewardship can result in environmental benefits to larger systems and help support biodiversity. These workshops and adventures were created to give high school students experiences that allow them to choose careers in the future. 

Some students then participated in a paid field mentorship that had students working with University of Texas Medical Branch scientists to learn about Environmental Justice and Resiliency in their coastal communities. Students learned how to use air, water and soil testing equipment, collected data around Galveston Island natural and industrial areas and then learned how to read the data from scientists currently studying these topics. They worked with doctors studying metals in the local soil and assisted in creating hydroponic and aquaponic gardens for parts of the community to use for growing fresh vegetables not contaminated with post hurricane sludge. Partners included UTMB Sealy Center, Hurricane Hal, Poison Control, Water Quality of Illinois, Green HOUS, and the National Lab. At the end of the week, students gave a three-minute thesis on a portion of the data collected.