The buzzed-about ozone level, and how members of the UH community are collaboratively raising awareness, surfaced in April’s Innov8 Talk.

“For each 20 parts in billion increases of ozone within the previous one to three hours, there was an associated heart risk and possible cardiac arrest of 4.4 percent,” said research assistant professor Dan Price.

Price

Price has done research and worked with UH community members to map out the ozone in Houston to ensure people are aware when the climate is safe for people to be out. Price has worked to develop the Ozone Map app that shows the current ozone levels. The app is available on the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Although pollution has improved, the ozone has still done a significant amount of damage, which in turn impacts the health of everyone, Price said.

Headlining the Innov8 talks with Price were a few other UH professors. Each month a few are selected to prepare 8-minute presentations that showcase new and different programs at the University and how to make the learning experience fun for students.

Three faculty members from the College of Technology discussed how they like to make the learning experience fun and hands-on for students. At the end of each semester, the college puts together a red carpet event for students to showcase their hard work in a fun environment.

“It is a show and tell kind of activity where students really do take that learning and put it into practice,” said College of Technology professor Sharon O’Neil.

Getting students to engage in the classroom can sometimes be challenging. UH faculty tries to find ways to make it more interesting for students to provide a better learning environment.

It can be especially challenging to get a class to focus if the class size is close to 900 students, said Assistant Dean of Career Services at the C.T. Bauer College of Business Jamie Belinne, who teaches a class of almost 1,000 students.

Belinne

“We have huge student bodies that we are supposed to give personalized experiences to and then give them relevant connection to the real world,” Belinne said. “It’s difficult but not impossible.”

The course, GENB 2301, is a market-based class that puts students in groups to form approximately 120 teams in which they get an opportunity to learn how to work with new people. The course helps in establishing networks and learning the ways of the business world.

“At the end of the class we see that one-third of the students have joined an organization as a result of being in the class,” Belinne said. “This giant class has made them feel closer to the University.”

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