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Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Krishna R. Reddy
Arvind K. Agnihotri
Yeliz Yukselen-Aksoy
Brajesh K. Dubey
Ajay Bansal Editors
Sustainable
Environment and
Infrastructure
Proceedings of EGRWSE 2019
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Volume 90
Series Editors
Marco di Prisco, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
Sheng-Hong Chen, School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering,
Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
Ioannis Vayas, Institute of Steel Structures, National Technical University of
Athens, Athens, Greece
Sanjay Kumar Shukla, School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup,
WA, Australia
Anuj Sharma, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
Nagesh Kumar, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Chien Ming Wang, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland,
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering (LNCE) publishes the latest developments in
Civil Engineering - quickly, informally and in top quality. Though original research
reported in proceedings and post-proceedings represents the core of LNCE, edited
volumes of exceptionally high quality and interest may also be considered for
publication. Volumes published in LNCE embrace all aspects and subfields of, as
well as new challenges in, Civil Engineering. Topics in the series include:
• Construction and Structural Mechanics
• Building Materials
• Concrete, Steel and Timber Structures
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Earthquake Engineering
• Coastal Engineering
• Ocean and Offshore Engineering; Ships and Floating Structures
• Hydraulics, Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering
• Environmental Engineering and Sustainability
• Structural Health and Monitoring
• Surveying and Geographical Information Systems
• Indoor Environments
• Transportation and Traffic
• Risk Analysis
• Safety and Security
To submit a proposal or request further information, please contact the appropriate
Springer Editor:
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and Australia, New Zealand);
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All books in the series now indexed by Scopus and EI Compendex database!
Ajay Bansal
Editors
Sustainable Environment
and Infrastructure
Proceedings of EGRWSE 2019
123
Editors
Krishna R. Reddy Arvind K. Agnihotri
Department of Civil, Materials Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute
and Environmental Engineering of Technology
University of Illinois Jalandhar, Punjab, India
Chicago, IL, USA
Brajesh K. Dubey
Yeliz Yukselen-Aksoy Department of Civil Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Dokuz Eylül University Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
İzmir, Turkey
Ajay Bansal
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National
Institute of Technology
Jalandhar, Punjab, India
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
v
vi Preface
geotechnical structures. Researchers have shown that these materials can be used in
the subgrade of roads, embankments of roads, as fill materials in retaining walls,
etc. The growing quantities and types of waste materials, shortage of landfill spaces,
and lack of natural earth materials highlight the urgency of finding innovative ways
of recycling and reusing waste materials. Additionally, recycling and subsequent
reuse of waste materials can reduce the demand for natural resources, which can
ultimately lead to a more sustainable environment. The construction industry is a
massive consumer of natural resources and a huge waste producer as well. The high
value of raw material consumption in the construction industry becomes one of the
main factors that causes environmental damage and pollution to our Mother Earth
and the depletion of natural and mineral resources.
The greatest challenge before the processing and manufacturing industries is the
disposal of the residual waste products. Waste products that are generally toxic,
ignitable, corrosive, or reactive have detrimental environmental consequences.
Thus, the disposal of industrial wastes is equally a major issue for the present
generation. This issue requires an effective, economic, and environment-friendly
method to tackle with the disposal of the residual industrial waste products. One
of the common and feasible ways to utilize these waste products is to go for the
construction of roads, highways, and embankments. If these materials can be
suitably utilized in the construction of roads, highways, and embankments, then the
pollution problem caused by the industrial wastes can be greatly reduced. This book
covers a variety of such multidisciplinary articles focused on sustainable environ-
mental and infrastructure systems which will be useful for students, working pro-
fessionals, practitioners, and researchers. Each article was reviewed by two
professionals with relevant technical background. The editors are thankful to the
authors and the reviewers for their contributions.
Editors
Chicago, USA Krishna R. Reddy
Jalandhar, India Arvind K. Agnihotri
İzmir, Turkey Yeliz Yukselen-Aksoy
Kharagpur, India Brajesh K. Dubey
Jalandhar, India Ajay Bansal
Contents
vii
viii Contents
xi
xii About the Editors
Abstract The concrete industry is a huge industry that is growing at a faster rate and
that leads to the consumption of a plenty of Natural Aggregates (NA) which puts the
non-renewable natural resources in danger of extinction and the NA resources are
remarkably waning day by day. On the other hand, millions of tons of construction
and demolition waste residues are generated. Therefore, the use of recycled concrete
aggregate obtained from construction and demolition waste in new concrete is a
solution for effective waste utilization. Recently, effective uses of Recycled Concrete
Aggregate (RCA) in the concrete industry have attracted a lot of attention resource
preservations but the use of recycled coarse aggregate directly does not give the safe
result in terms of durability properties and compressive strength. So, it has must
improved the properties of RCA for replacing it with NA. To enhance the properties
of RCA, adhered mortar has to be removed or strengthened. Removing and strength-
ening the adhered mortar are the two common methods for improving the properties
of RCA. The process of removal of adhered mortar is carrying by chemically and
mechanically processed. The current study aimed to evaluate the strength and dura-
bility properties of concrete at different replacement levels of natural aggregate and
recycled coarse aggregate. This study was also intended to enhance the strength and
durability properties of concrete by using chemically and mechanically beneficiated
recycled aggregate and thus recommend the most appropriate replacement level and
the beneficiation method.
1 Introduction
Concrete, being to its availability, easy preparation and sculpture, is the most popular
and highly dominated material in the construction industry. After water, concrete is
the second highest consumed material. Due to the enormous amount of concrete
produced, the demolition waste of concrete is generated in a huge amount. So,
sustainability in construction should be increased by using renovation operations of
demolition waste to diminish the impact associated with the material used. Construc-
tion and demolition waste (CDW) materials are produced in large quantities annually
in the world. In the UK alone, the waste produced annually is 110 million tonnes
which is 60% of the total waste produced [1]. Only 40% of this waste is recycled and
reused. At the same time, a lot of natural aggregates are used. In India, 54 million tons
of solid waste is produced every year and CDW makes 25% of it [2]. In developing
countries, the construction industry is one of the biggest industries and the usage
of a lot of virgin aggregates takes a toll on non-renewable natural resources which
can be prevented if construction and demolition waste can be used in much more
amounts than it has been used currently. But the use of recycled concrete aggregates
decreases the strength of the aggregates and hence its use is limited. The use of
Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) can reduce compressive strength by up to 40%
[3]. Thus, current standards and specifications limit the usage of recycled concrete
aggregates.
Recycling of construction and demolition waste is not the most favorable solution
to achieve a greater Sustainability as it is desirable to carry out some specific approach
that can diminish the use of natural raw material and restrain the waste production.
Thus, most of the CDW is still not recycled because of the reduced final strength of
concrete and is deposited as a landfill. Due to this, useful lands are becoming dump
yards for construction debris thus increasing the cost of the land. So, the more the
CDW is recycled more virgin aggregates are replaced, and hence, less impact is there
on the natural resources. But the reason the more CDW is not recycled is the decrease
in the strength. So, if the strength of the RCA is somehow increased the replacement
percentage can be increased. Also, the more replacement means less use of virgin
aggregates which serves another purpose: the crushing to produce virgin aggregates
evolves carbon dioxide gas in air which is another environmental hazard. Apart from
their problems, certain minor issues are promoting the recycling of C&D waste [4].
Recycled concrete aggregates derived from construction and demolition waste have
a lot of adhered mortar and are porous and less dense. The volume of the adhered
mortar varies from 25 to 60% depending upon the amount of mortar [5]. This adhered
mortar is the reason why the strength of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is less.
Recycled aggregate can be extracted from demolished waste of concrete and thus it
is termed as RCA [6].
The old mortar that is adhered to the aggregate is porous and has cracks and
fissures which make it weak. In some researches, for a particle size of 20–30 mm,
the adhered mortar was found to be 20% [7, 8]. The loss in strength is because of the
additional Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ). The presence of another (ITZ) in case
Enhancing the Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete … 3
of RAC: one ITZ is between aggregate and old mortar (adhered mortar) and other
ITZ is between old mortar and new mortar, which reduces the strength of recycled
concrete aggregates. So, there are two planes of weakness in the recycled aggregate
concrete. ITZ is highly porous and contains the crystals of calcium hydroxide in it
which is a product of hydration of cement (Fig. 1).
There is a certain challenge that may develop in construction due to the deficiency
and shortage of sources, limitation on the launch of new sources, and raised the cost
of production. By using Recycled Aggregate (RA) it may help to locate some of
these challenges. Recycled aggregate can be extracted from the demolished waste
of concrete and thus it is termed as RCA [8]. There are many groups of countries
like the UK, Germany, the Netherland, etc., which have been aiming to a target of
20–40% recycling rate of its demolition waste since 1995 [9].
2 Experimental Programs
2.1 Materials
and sieve analysis were found by performing various tests. The results are shown in
below Table 3.
RCAs are produced from construction and demolition waste can be used as a
replacement of aggregates in concrete. Both RCA and NCA had a maximum size
of 20 mm and a minimum size of 4.75 mm. The properties of RCA like flakiness
and elongation index, specific gravity, and sieve analysis were found by performing
various tests. The results are shown in below Table 4.
RCA differs from NCA mainly because it contains two additional components:
adhered mortar and an ITZ between the NCA and the original cement mortar. The
original cement mortar attached to RCA is more porous than NCA. RCA has higher
porosity and water absorption, and lower strength compared with NCA. To enhance
the properties of RCA, adhered mortar has to be removed or strengthened. The process
of removal of adhered mortar or strengthen of adhered mortar is called beneficia-
tion of RCA. Removing and strengthening the adhered mortar are the two common
methods for improving the properties of RCA. In this current study, the adhered
mortar of RCA is removed by three methods named as a mechanical beneficiation,
chemical beneficiation and combination of chemical-mechanical beneficiation. The
beneficiated RCA is used to make the concrete at different percentage mixes with
NCA. The Mechanically Beneficiated RCA (MBR) was treated in an abrasion testing
machine for the removal of adhered mortar from RCA.
To investigate the effect of different types of beneficiated RCAs, the current study
is aimed to design three concrete mixes with a replacement of 100% beneficiated
RCA with NCA. These mixes are designed to produce concrete with a 28-day target
strength of 30 MPa. The results are shown in Table 5.
3 Testing of Concrete
This test of concrete is used to determine the flow of water per unit area for a specific
time period. The specimen used in this test setup is a cube of the size of 150 mm
× 150 mm × 150 mm and the test is performed in reference to BS 1881-208:1996.
Concrete specimen of each mix is tested at the curing age of 28 and 56 days. It is
performed at the interval of 10, 30, and 60 min, and readings are noted as I10, I30,
and I60 (Fig. 3).
Enhancing the Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete … 7
In the RCPT, the specimens were placed between two acrylic cells. One of the cells
is filled with a NaOH solution and the other cell is filled with a NaCl solution. The
cells were connected to a 60-V power source. The amount of charge that passes
through the concrete disc specimen (50 mm × 100 mm slice) is measured for 6 h.
The fundamental assumption behind this test is that more permeable concrete will
allow more charge to pass through and vice versa. A charge that passes through the
concrete sample is estimated and presented in coulombs. This quantified charge is
an indirect estimate of the chloride ion penetration and the durability of concrete
(Fig. 4).
Mechanical beneficiation of RCAs was done in Los Angeles abrasion apparatus. The
results are shown in the graph-1 below (Fig. 5).
The revolution mechanism was repeated for five cycles of aggregates. Test results
clearly show that there is a prominent increase in the removal of adhered mortar
percentage while increasing the number of revolutions. The first cycle of revolution
consists of 100 revolutions in which the removal percentage of the adhered mortar
8 R. L. Riyar et al.
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Different cycles of mechenical treatment
was 4.10%. Further, the percentage of removal of adhered mortar from RCA was
7.30%, 9.90%, 11.90%, and 14.10% for the 200, 300, 400, and 500 revolutions,
respectively. Thus, it gives a clear understanding that the strength of RCA concrete
can be enhanced by incorporating the mechanical beneficiation with higher no of
revolutions.
The compressive strength test was performed at the curing age of 7, 28, and 56 days.
This test was performed on three different types of concrete mixes, for example, fully
NCA concrete mix (C-N100), fully RCA concrete mix (C-N0R100), and fully MBR
concrete mix. The results are shown in the graph-2 below (Fig. 6).
Enhancing the Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete … 9
30
20 7 Days
28 Days
10
56 Days
0
C-N100 C-N0R100 C-N0MBR100
Concrete Mixes
It was observed from the results that the compressive strength of beneficiated
concrete mix (C-N0MBR100) become a little bit lesser equal to the strength of fully
NA concrete mix (C-N100) at the curing age of 7 days, as the strength was only 4.34%
less than the comparatively of C-N100. Moreover, a decrement of 26.4% was seen
in compare to fully replaced recycled aggregate mix (C-N0R100) when compared to
C-N100 at the curing age of 7 days. Similarly, the decrease in compressive strength
of C-N0R100 and C-N0MBR100 at the curing age of 28 days was 27.4% and 7.8%
when compared to the C-N100 concrete mix. Furthermore, only a 9% decrease of
compressive strength was observed in the C-N0MBR100 concrete mix at the curing
age of 56 days when compared to the C-N100 concrete mix. The results are shown
in the graph-2 earlier.
Cube samples of size 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm were made for Initial Surface
Absorption (ISA) test and were tested for curing periods of 28 and 56 days for all
the mixes. The results are shown in the graph-3 below (Fig. 7).
The ISAT (Initial Surface Absorption Test) results for 10-min period (ISA-10)
were tested and it was found that the ISA-10 values were increased when NCA is
replaced with RCA completely for a curing period of 28 days. The increase in the
ISA-10, ISA-30, and ISA-60 values was of the order of 18.27, 22.86, and 30.08% at
fully replacement of NCA with RCA for 28 days curing period. If ISA value is higher,
it means there is surface porosity. The higher values of ISA-10 for concrete mixes
C-N0R100 and C-N0MBR100 indicate higher porosity of concrete with respect to
control C-N100 which can be because of the presence of RCA in the concrete mixes.
10 R. L. Riyar et al.
0.3
C-N100
0.2
C-N0R100
0.1
C-N0MBR100
0
ISA 10 ISA 30 ISA 60
Concrete Mixes
2000
1000 28 Days
56 Days
0
C-N100 C-N0R100 C-N0MBR100
Concrete Mix
In the RCPT, the current passing through the concrete specimens in the first 6 h
is measured, and the resistance of the concrete chloride penetration is assessed
according to the total charge passed within 6 h. The charge passed obtained from
RCPT shows that the NA concrete mix C-N100 has a very low permeability, but the
concrete mix made with recycled aggregate shows some less resistance against the
chloride ion penetration, although C-N0R100 and C-N0MBR100 also come under
the low category. The results are shown in the graph-4 below (Fig. 8).
5 Conclusion
This research aiming to banish fears regarding the use of RCA into fresh concrete,
some of the very useful conclusions were obtained. The key conclusion of this
research is that the properties of RCA can be enhanced in such a way to be used
in some major construction activities. A simple treatment method, in the recycling
Enhancing the Properties of Recycled Aggregate Concrete … 11
References
1. Akbarnezhad A, Ong KCG, Zhang MH, Tam CT, Foo TWJ (2011) Microwave-assisted
beneficiation of recycled concrete aggregates. Constr Build Mater 25(8):3469–3479
2. Behera M, Bhattacharyya SK, Minocha AK, Deoliya R, Maiti S (2014) Recycled aggregate
from C&D waste & its use in concrete—A breakthrough towards sustainability in construction
sector: a review. Constr Build Mater 68:501–516
3. Dilbas H, Şimşek M, Çakir Ö (2014) An investigation on mechanical and physical properties of
recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) with and without silica fume. Constr Build Mater 61(March
2006): 50–59
4. Duan ZH, Poon CS (2014) Properties of recycled aggregate concrete made with recycled
aggregates with different amounts of old adhered mortars. Mater Des 58:19–29
5. George D, Pericles S, Petrou MF (2018) Enhancing mechanical and durability properties of
recycled aggregate concrete. Constr Build Mater 158:228–235
6. Kisku N, Joshi H, Ansari M, Panda SK, Nayak S, Dutta SC (2017) A critical review and
assessment for usage of recycled aggregate as sustainable construction material. Constr Build
Mater 131:721–740
7. Gholampour A, Ozbakkaloglu T (2018) Time-dependent and long-term mechanical properties
of concretes incorporating different grades of coarse recycled concrete aggregates. Eng Struct
157(September 2017):224–234
8. Huang Y, He X, Sun H, Sun Y, Wang Q (2018) Effects of coral, recycled and natural coarse
aggregates on the mechanical properties of concrete. Constr Build Mater 192:330–347
9. Kurda R, de Brito J, Silvestre JD (2017) Combined influence of recycled concrete aggregates
and high contents of fly ash on concrete properties. Constr Build Mater 157:554–572
10. Pepe M, Toledo Filho RD, Koenders EAB, Martinelli E (2014) Alternative processing
procedures for recycled aggregates in structural concrete. Constr Build Mater 69:124–132
Early Introduction of STEM Through
Sustainable Engineering
Tyler Klink, Morgan Sanger, Renee Olley, Angela Pakes, Tuncer Edil,
and Sydney Klinzing
1 Introduction
A study published in Science magazine reported children at the age of 5 are equally as
likely to assume a person of their own gender when given the description “A person in
my office is really, really smart—they solve problems faster and better than anyone
else.” By the age of 6 and 7, however, girls are 20–30% less likely than as their
male counterparts to assume the person being talked about is of their own gender
[1]. It is not clearly understood exactly what causes this early and dramatic shift,
but this pattern continues into adulthood. According to the 2009 Census, women
hold 48% of total jobs in the United States, but only 24% of all science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs. The lowest percentages of women are
found in engineering fields, only 14% of engineers in the United States are female
[2]. There are clear obstacles for women to enter STEM fields, and this has a negative
impact on those fields.
In learning of the Science magazine article and observing the gender discrepancy
in the engineering courses at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the authors
were inspired to visit local middle schools and encourage young women to consider
pursuing STEM. The authors developed a program called Eva the Engineer to teach
young women in Madison area middle schools. The title of the program, Eva the
Engineer, was intended to personify a female engineer of any cultural background
such that she is approachable and relatable to all students. Additionally, the allitera-
tion of Eva the Engineer continues with the program objectives: to educate, excite,
and encourage young women to pursue careers in sustainability and civil engineering.
Each lesson has a technical focus and utilizes hands-on activities to inspire critical
thinking and problem-solving. The Eva the Engineer course curriculum uses hands-
on activities to teach lessons on sustainability, the principles of civil engineering, and
women in STEM. Life cycle assessments, water use and water treatment, concrete
materials, and the use of recycled materials in construction applications are just a
few of the sustainability-focused engineering principles developed to engage and
inspire young female students. This report illustrates the curriculum development
process and presents the results of the Eva the Engineer program using pre- and
post-program surveys.
All lessons created for the program were original and drew upon fundamental engi-
neering concepts such as force design, product sustainability, and project planning.
The mission of the program is to “Educate, Excite and Encourage young women
to pursue careers in STEM,” with a focus on sustainability and civil engineering.
Early Introduction of STEM Through Sustainable Engineering 15
Learning objectives and lesson materials were developed within the scope of the
mission.
The course content was organized and developed in three units: professionalism,
sustainability, and infrastructure. The units were selected to teach the principles of
civil engineering, sustainability, and women in STEM. Each unit is described in some
detail in this section, and a summary curriculum map is presented in Table 1.
Sustainability Unit. In the sustainability unit, examples and products from civil
engineering and from daily life are used to demonstrate the environmental, social, and
economic components of sustainability. Students engage with contemporary envi-
ronmental issues surrounding water usage, municipal solid waste, and construction
and demolition waste. Students conduct qualitative and simple quantitative life cycle
assessments of a shoe, bottled and tap water, and recycled materials in construc-
tion applications. Students learn to define sustainability and critically consider the
impacts of personal decisions and the impacts of engineering decision-making in
infrastructure. The sustainability unit is identified as Unit 1 in Table 1.
Professionalism Unit. In the professionalism unit, lessons emphasize the histor-
ical impact of women on science and engineering, and how that has translated to the
workforce today. Practical applications of the engineering and sustainability concepts
are enforced with a field trip experience. The field trip includes tours of a ready-mix
concrete facility, a recycling facility, and the county landfill. After the field trip,
many students noticed that there no women were encountered throughout the day at
any of the visited sites. This important observation is addressed in the course with
examples of women in STEM history and local women in STEM. Homework for this
course involves reading and interacting with the book Women in Science: 50 Fearless
Pioneers Who Changed the World to illustrate the crucial role of women in STEM
history [3]. In the final lesson of the program, a panel of women in STEM careers
from the Madison area is assembled to speak with the class and answer questions. In
this forum, the students interact with and relate to these women. The professionalism
unit is identified as Unit 2 in Table 1.
Infrastructure Unit. In the infrastructure unit, lessons focus on the design and
materials of modern infrastructure. Simple structural design is presented using static
force balance and force body diagrams. Interactive team projects require students
to build small structures with limited materials and time, exercising static force
concepts and their problem-solving abilities. Team projects encourage participation
and engage the students in a small-group discussion regarding the lesson material. In
this unit, the use and composition of concrete are a primary focus because concrete
is the most prevalently used material in the construction industry. Students learn the
different ingredients of concrete and the purpose of each component using a cookie
analogy. The students also have the opportunity to work with concrete in both its
16 T. Klink et al.
viscous and solid phases, an opportunity not available to most middle school students.
The infrastructure unit is identified as Unit 3 in Table 1.
Eva the Engineer has been taught three times at three different schools in the Madison
area: Badger Rock Middle School, Toki Middle School, and Verona Badger Ridge
Middle School. For the first two iterations of the program, the elective class was
taught once a week for an hour for one academic quarter. In the third and most recent
generation of the program, the curriculum was expanded to 15-hour-long lessons
taught weekly as an after-school program.
The lessons are generally structured to include a 10-minute lecture introducing the
technical concept followed by a hands-on activity. The instructors maintain student
engagement during the lecture by establishing an open discussion of the material,
and by posing questions to incite critical thinking, per the Socratic Method. The
hands-on activities allow the students to practice problem-solving, communication,
teamwork, and understanding of the technical concepts.
3 Results
Eva the Engineer has proven to be beneficial for the middle school students, the
instructors, and the partners from industry. The students enrolled in the course are
afforded an opportunity to explore engineering in an approachable and engaging
environment. While there are local day programs for young women in science and
technology, bringing the program directly to the classroom made the opportunity
accessible for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. By providing students
with role models they could relate to, it was conveyed that people of all identities
and backgrounds are capable of succeeding in STEM fields.
To quantify the impact of the program and to solicit feedback from the students,
pre- and post-program surveys are administered. The surveys first ask the students
to evaluate their perceptions of their own abilities on a scale of 1–10 (1 = incapable,
10 = very capable) in nine categories pertinent to STEM careers: problem-solving,
math, science, writing, confidence, social, leadership, creativity and hard-working.
During the first and last sessions of the program, the students are given a survey
to evaluate their perceptions of their own abilities in categories pertinent to STEM
careers. Most notably, the female students rate themselves higher in all nine categories
at the end of the program (Fig. 1). Figure 1 demonstrates that, following the lessons
and activities, the students feel more certain in their own STEM capabilities. This
observed tendency is consistent for each of the three schools.
A control group of male students was surveyed using the same method in order
to compare to the pre-program survey administered to the female students (Fig. 2).
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