The impact of a research vessel on student understanding of the Salish Sea
Presentation Abstract
The founder of the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) at Everett Community College in Washington State established a longitudinal study that engages students in the collection of data on biogeochemical metrics in the Snohomish River Estuary. To build on this ongoing, ten-year project that embeds students as the primary researchers, a grant from the National Science Foundation provided funding for a custom built research vessel, which has been in operation for over a year. This vessel has revolutionized the scope of the student research projects during their first and second year, catalyzing ORCA students to ask deeper and more complex questions, providing greater access to study sites and more shipboard research hours. Pioneering work on eel grass monitoring is a key example of the impact a dedicated vessel has on student driven questions. This work is a direct result of the research vessel Phocoena, which is capable of beach landings, allowing a recent parcel of beach front property to become accessible to student researchers. Students are asking relevant questions about eel grass including heavy metal uptake, genetic diversity, population size and shoot density. This type of research experience is of an awareness and understanding of where they livepivotal to the stu development. Students are surveyed quarterly on their experiences. Nearly 50% of the respondents reported (unprompted) the value of hands-on and authentic science in the free response section. The more experiences students have investigating connections to where they live, the greater their understanding of the Salish Sea.
Session Title
Salish Sea Studies: An integrating context for teaching, research, and community engagement
Conference Track
Engagement
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Environmental monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Ecosystem management--Research--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Environmental conditions
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The impact of a research vessel on student understanding of the Salish Sea
2016SSEC
The founder of the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) at Everett Community College in Washington State established a longitudinal study that engages students in the collection of data on biogeochemical metrics in the Snohomish River Estuary. To build on this ongoing, ten-year project that embeds students as the primary researchers, a grant from the National Science Foundation provided funding for a custom built research vessel, which has been in operation for over a year. This vessel has revolutionized the scope of the student research projects during their first and second year, catalyzing ORCA students to ask deeper and more complex questions, providing greater access to study sites and more shipboard research hours. Pioneering work on eel grass monitoring is a key example of the impact a dedicated vessel has on student driven questions. This work is a direct result of the research vessel Phocoena, which is capable of beach landings, allowing a recent parcel of beach front property to become accessible to student researchers. Students are asking relevant questions about eel grass including heavy metal uptake, genetic diversity, population size and shoot density. This type of research experience is of an awareness and understanding of where they livepivotal to the stu development. Students are surveyed quarterly on their experiences. Nearly 50% of the respondents reported (unprompted) the value of hands-on and authentic science in the free response section. The more experiences students have investigating connections to where they live, the greater their understanding of the Salish Sea.
