Name:
Jennifer Cowan

Major:
Environmental Science

Graduation Year:
May 2018

Internship Project:
Ozone Garden

Project Goals:
Monitor the effects of ground level ozone on bioindicator plants
Provide an outdoor laboratory for students, faculty and visitors
Increase UCCS' community awareness of the effects of ozone damage

Project Description:
The Ozone Garden is a student-run, citizen-scientist, Green Action Funded project located in the front yard of the Sustainability Demonstration House that collects data for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO. NCAR collects data from multiple sites across Colorado to measure the effects of ground-level ozone on plant life. There is a reason NCAR is collecting this data: ozone levels in the Denver Metro/Front Range Region have been out of compliance with the US Environmental Protection Agency since 2007. Understanding the effects of rising ozone levels is an active area of research for NCAR. The Ozone Garden blog can be found here.

Why are you interested in sustainability?
Sustainability is just a fancy word for making sure that we don't overuse and/or destroy what we've got, since resources are finite. Sustainable lives ensure that future generations can enjoy the same things we do. Sustainable lives can also help others enjoy the same freedoms that America does.

What is your favorite part of the Internship Program? 
The best part about managing the Ozone Garden was seeing the garden flourish under my care. I also loved that the garden was a part of a bigger project all over Colorado