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Aqautic Ecology Field Collection

Students Collect Data on Local Stream Health

Students collect data to assess the health of three tributaries of White Clay Creek that flow near campus. The purpose of this project was two-fold; to provide students an opportunity to collect data while interacting with nature, and to build a long-term data set on the health of three streams near campus. Students worked in teams under the mentorship of the TA?s, Preceptors, and Faculty to collect samples and observations from the sites, and are now analyzing their data back in the lab in Harker ISEL. Students will use the data they have collected and analyzed to test their hypotheses on how various chemical and biological factors impact these local aquatic ecosystems. Students prepared to go out into the field over several weeks of lab periods, both learning the technical skills that they need in order to collect accurate data, and learning about the interplay between different living and nonliving factors that influence an aquatic ecosystems so that they can analyze the data. The project will culminate in student groups presenting a scientific poster on their hypothesis and the status of these stream ecosystems during class the first week of May.

May 9, 2019