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Evangel & MSU students compete for environmental sustainability

Published on Mar 19, 2018 by Paul K. Logsdon

Twelve students from Evangel University and Missouri State University will compete with their applied sustainability rocket stove class projects on Wednesday, March 21, at 3 p.m.

“The focus of the class is to learn how to help people around the world provide their own food, clean water, power and sewage treatment,” said Dr. Jason Streubel, associate professor of biology at Evangel and senior director – program effectiveness and training at Convoy of Hope.

“This particular challenge is for the students to build what is known as a ‘rocket stove,’ a cheap, high efficiency stove that can be built and utilized in developing countries,” said Streubel.

Students can make their stove from anything, with grades based on creativity and cost. The maximum they can spend is $3.

“The need for a project like this can be seen anywhere in the world, even like last week in Sri Lanka and Nepal where I saw families cooking over small fires in enclosed buildings full of smoke,” said Streubel.

The competition will take place by the southwest corner of Zimmerman Hall at Evangel, near the outdoor amphitheater.

“The goals for this completion are improvements in fuel efficiency and environmental health. The stoves are designed to use less wood and produce hardly any smoke,” he said.

“Each student will be given a 4-foot X 1-inch slat of wood that I get from Lowe’s, and 1.5 liters of water. Whichever stove boils water the longest wins,” said Streubel.

Evangel, Haiti, Brittni Woods ’14
Evangel University sustainability students volunteering with farmers in Haiti. // PHOTO BY: Brittni Woods (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

 

Applied sustainability is a part of the applied science/agronomy minor at Evangel, in the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, and has been embraced by students at MSU and Evangel interested in bringing Hope to the world through science and technology.

Known as “Dr. Dirt,” Streubel splits his time between teaching biology and environmental science classes at Evangel and helping manage international programs at Convoy of Hope where teams are teaching farmers in underdeveloped countries, “best management practices specific to their region and crops.”

Other class projects include raising red worms for composting. Each student starts with the same materials and whomever raises the most worms by number and weight will win that project.

“The worms are also a great source of protein in a pinch,” according to Streubel.

For more information, contact Dr. Jason Streubel at StreubelJ@Evangel.edu or call the Department of Natural and Applied Sciences at (417) 865-2811 ext. 8313.