So Much to See at the 2001 Research Symposium

  Once a year, Allegheny College fills its Henderson Campus Center with fish and aquatic insects, water pollution and waterborne bacteria, streamside forests and deep rivers. There is even a 29-inch aquatic salamander called a hellbender. It may sound like the next location for the “Survivor” show, but this collection of water-related topics was for the Creek Connections 6th annual Student Research Symposium on Friday, April 6.

Approximately 540 secondary school students from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Clymer, New York flooded the event with their enthusiasm, knowledge, and eagerness to share their creek research that had been completed over the past year. After a welcome from Creek Connections staff, students were able to discover more about other school's projects and talk about their own research. Oral presentations were given all morning in the auditorium, while the Campus Center lobby was filled with student displays, water quality data summaries, interactive games and activities, and some very impressive videos, PowerPoint presentations, and artwork. It was clear that a lot of hands on learning had taken place at each school.

According to Rami Abraham of Chartiers Valley High School, the best aspect of the symposium was “the diversity of different presented information.” “I enjoyed presenting, but I also liked walking around and looking at all the other symposium displays,” claimed Cambridge Springs High School student Katie Orozco.

One thing students saw was that there are many differences between the waterways that they all monitor. Schools from Northwest Pennsylvania learned about acid mine drainage problems in the Pittsburgh area. A few Pittsburghers might have been surprised to see some of the aquatic life that was found in Northwest Pennsylvania’s French Creek. Many stream comparisons could be made during the course of the day.

The symposium was definitely an opportunity for students to celebrate their work, show off their displays, and swap creek side tales. This was also a time for students to talk with representatives from over a dozen environmental groups about their work. Organizations such as the Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the French Creek Outdoor Learning Center, and Erie National Wildlife Refuge were all eager to share their mission with the students. Crystal Gregory of Upper St. Clair High School felt "the booths were the best aspect of the event. It was neat to see so many scientists and interesting people in one place."

After lunch, the students broke up into focus group activities to study specific aspects of stream systems. From salamander hunts to turbidity explorations, zebra mussels to stream slime, the students expanded their creek knowledge while having fun. There were 26 different activities that were simultaneously conducted around the Allegheny campus. Tory Spokane of Seneca Valley Intermediate High School “enjoyed the break away groups because you got to meet different people.” Matt Seibel, Jonathan Slugankski, and Bill Hazi from Prospect Middle School all agreed that the focus group activities were the best.

When the focus group activities were completed, the "Creekers" navigated their way back to the campus center for the awards ceremony and closing remarks. The ceremony celebrated the students’ hard work. Each school was presented with a plaque to signify our appreciation for the students making this a great year and symposium.

The afternoon focus groups were an opportunity for students to participate in a watershed-related activity, lab, or interactive presentation. For many attendees, the activities were their favorite part of the day. Jessica Cheman of Seneca Valley Intermediate High School “enjoyed breaking up and working in small groups”. There were 26 different focus group activities on a variety of topics led by environmental organizations, Allegheny students and faculty. On the following pages, students write about what they did and learned during some of the focus group activities.

On March 8th, the students of Parker Middle School conducted a watershed snapshot. Under the leadership of Mr. Wise, three earth science classes tested numerous local streams that would give a picture into the health of the entire watershed.

The watershed snapshot is a brief glimpse into the condition of the watershed. During the snapshot, many streams are tested simultaneously. This technique shows the change of chemical levels up and downstream, as well as in the whole watershed.

Throughout the morning, many vans filled with students rushed to the sampling sites to collect their data. Many of the sites were not normally tested by the classes. Though the weather was very cold, everyone had a great time testing creeks they have never been to before.

A variety of streams were tested to represent the diversity that is present in a watershed. Large and small streams were monitored because water chemistry can change drastically as water volume increases. Other factors, such as a sewage treatment plant, were included. Land uses such as these are important to the assessment of a watershed.

When the students returned to the classroom, they recorded their data on the board and inputted it into a computer. When all the data was collected, analysis was made to determine what caused numbers to fluctuate at the various sites, sometimes along the same stream.

Currently in Creek Connections, comparisons across many streams, even when they are in the same watershed, are difficult. Samples from various streams are often taken on different days from many different schools. Water quality can change dramatically from day to day as weather patterns shift.

This snapshot approach is a wonderful departure from the normal Creek Connections procedure, which tracks a single site throughout the year. With the snapshot approach, accurate analysis can be made that includes many streams in a watershed. Mr. Wise and his students have certainly expanded their knowledge of the impacts on their watershed.