Knoxville-Tennessee Environmental Soil and Stream Testing (K-TESST)

Knoxville-Tennessee Environmental Soil and Stream Testing (K-TESST) is a citizen science outreach program dedicated to educating Knoxville residents about soil and water quality. Their goal is to provide free soil and water testing kits to the public and increase public knowledge of soil and water quality. This is accomplished through classroom lessons that show students how to use testing materials and analyze the collected data. Students will then use their new knowledge to go to a local water or soil source to make observations and take samples. With the help of K-TESST volunteers students will use their soil or water test kits on their sample. All data collected will be entered into the K-TESST database. Students are also asked to complete a form asking how this project has impacted their interest in science. K-TESST is seeking funding to purchase more testing kits for classroom visits so they can expand their program into more schools as well as new equipment for students to use like thermometers and pH probes.