1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,440 Okay, we're here, but now where do we go? 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,000 Wow, how big this place is. 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,320 It's pretty neat. 4 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:09,160 Look, there's someone straight ahead. 5 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:10,920 She must be the smell expert. 6 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:13,160 We're meeting a scientist named Paula Hogg. 7 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:15,880 Hi guys, I've been expecting you. 8 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,640 Dr. D said you would be on your way. 9 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,200 Hi, I'm Bianca, this is Matthew and Jacob. 10 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,160 I'm Paula, how can I help you? 11 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,440 We want to get our faces on KSNN. 12 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,640 What he means is he wants to help KSNN 13 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:32,560 find the source of the smell. 14 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,480 Oh, well I can show you where the source 15 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:36,240 of the odor starts here. 16 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,680 First you're gonna need some of these. 17 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:40,640 Do you use a scientific method here? 18 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:41,840 Yes, we do. 19 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,040 First step is to find and observe the problem. 20 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:46,640 This is where the wastewater comes 21 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:48,440 into the plant from our homes. 22 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,840 The wastewater contains odorous substances 23 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,320 like hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. 24 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,320 Hydrogen sulfide is sometimes called the rotten egg gas. 25 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,560 Some of these substances are formed in the sewer 26 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,240 when bacteria break down organic material 27 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:04,240 in the wastewater. 28 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:11,440 Man, this is definitely where the smell is coming from. 29 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:13,960 Yes, and you're using your sense of smell 30 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:15,480 to observe the problem. 31 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:18,160 Next step is to collect data. 32 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,080 Hey, neat, what is that? 33 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,240 It's a hydrogen sulfide meter. 34 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:23,440 What does it show us? 35 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,640 With this we can measure exactly how much 36 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,240 hydrogen sulfide gas is in the air. 37 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,800 And next we need to come up with a hypothesis. 38 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:32,440 Do you know what a hypothesis is? 39 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:34,280 I do, it's a guess. 40 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,000 Well, it's an educated guess. 41 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,800 It's when we use our facts, observations, and data 42 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,800 to come up with a possible answer to the problem. 43 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,880 Is this where you get rid of the odor? 44 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:46,120 Yes, it is. 45 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,440 We know that the odor is mainly caused 46 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,880 by the release of hydrogen sulfide gas, 47 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,360 which can be controlled by chemical processes 48 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:54,400 such as these. 49 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:55,360 What's that? 50 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,000 These are scrubbers. 51 00:01:58,000 --> 00:01:58,920 Look through the window 52 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,560 and observe the odor removal process. 53 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,960 These wet scrubbers change the gas 54 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,960 and turn it into liquid, which removes the odor. 55 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,520 And we use all of our data and observation 56 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,520 to make sure the system works. 57 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,240 How do you know if your hypothesis is working? 58 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,960 We test our hypothesis every day at the treatment plant. 59 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,360 We use our noses again? 60 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,600 Yes, our sense of smell can tell us 61 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,240 if the odor is being controlled. 62 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,600 But we also use a meter. 63 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:35,120 Plant operators check the sulfide levels going into 64 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,200 and coming out of the scrubbing system 65 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:39,200 at least a dozen times a day. 66 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,280 Based on this, we can make adjustments 67 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,240 to the odor control process. 68 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:46,680 The smell is much better. 69 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:48,400 Does this remove all the odor? 70 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,280 Well, under the right conditions, 71 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,760 almost all of the odor can be taken away. 72 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:56,520 Wow, look at this place. 73 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,360 Something sure is happening here. 74 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,120 It looks like my bubble bath 75 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,320 that's after I've been playing all day. 76 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,520 This is the aeration basin. 77 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,240 Look closely. 78 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,320 A lot of change is happening here. 79 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:14,360 Bacteria are working to remove odor and other pollutants. 80 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:19,040 After all this, I'm sure the water must be really clean. 81 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,360 And the odor has to be removed. 82 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,400 Must be really clean. 83 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,400 And the odor has to be gone. 84 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,080 Well, that's the goal. 85 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:28,640 But if there's still an odor, 86 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:30,920 we can go back to the scientific method 87 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:32,200 to solve our problem. 88 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:33,840 The scientific method. 89 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,080 But how do you know the odor is gone for good? 90 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,320 Well, at the end of the treatment process, 91 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,600 we test to make sure that the odor 92 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,840 and other pollutants are gone. 93 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:46,320 This place is really cool. 94 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,440 Wow, it looks so clean. 95 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:51,760 Wow. 96 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,440 Well, have you learned enough about the scientific method 97 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,440 to help you with your smell problem? 98 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,080 Yes, I think we all should think about a hypothesis. 99 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,400 Yes, a hypothesis and variables. 100 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:07,520 Hi, Dr. D. 101 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,200 Oh, it's the investigative smells team. 102 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:10,480 How you doing? 103 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:11,960 We visited the smell experts 104 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,840 at the wastewater treatment plant. 105 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,320 Yeah, and a scientist named Paula Hogg 106 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,400 showed us how she used the scientific method on her job 107 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:21,760 to track stink at the plant. 108 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:23,720 So tell me, did you learn any more about science? 109 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:24,800 Yes? 110 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,200 We learned it's why scientists ask so many questions. 111 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,360 It's because they're curious. 112 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,520 Why don't you try one of these information sheets? 113 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:33,840 I always use them to keep me straight 114 00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:35,840 when I'm researching problems. 115 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,440 Hmm, identifies a variety 116 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,400 of potential sources of information. 117 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,080 We're going next. 118 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:46,480 Identifies inaccurate and misleading information, 119 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,520 selects information appropriate to the problem 120 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:51,080 or question at hand. 121 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:52,720 This looks like it'll be helpful.