The Pitch
The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) is a community that develops and applies open-source tools to environmental exploration and investigation. By democratizing inexpensive and accessible Do-It-Yourself techniques, Public Lab creates a collaborative network of practitioners who actively re-imagine the human relationship with the environment.
Stevie Lewis
The Entrepreneur
Stevie Lewis
Stevie Lewis serves as Outreach Manager with Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science. With her background in environment and community development, Stevie has held positions with Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the National Park Service in response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, EARTHWORKS and the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring. Stevie holds a BA in Environmental Studies (cum laude) from Dickinson College and as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Stevie completed a MSc in Environment and Development (valedictorian) from the University of Edinburgh.
Opportunity/Challenge
Monitoring water quality is especially critical in a city that has been plagued by environmental disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, and struggles with pollution from the major oil and gas industries that are spread across Louisiana State. Data are not widely available and technology are often expensive, preventing local communities from taking part in water quality management.
Impact
- $50,000 raised for evaluating water quality using low-cost, do-it-yourself tools (Riffle and Coqui) that collect, interpret and share valuable data such as oil contamination and water conductivity._
- Featured in an Al-Jazeera documentary for Environmental Action
- 6000 people served
- 20,000 low cost environmental monitoring tools distributed