In this six-week project, students will learn about the naturally occurring life cycles of lakes, investigate the nutrient content and species composition cycles of area waterways, and understand the impact of human activities on lake ecosystems. This project includes laboratory and field experiments, internet research, and computer modeling. The final reports will be presented to water quality experts from the local community.

By conducting this research, students will understand and appreciate the vital role surface waters play in our lives and our ecosystems. They will also learn about water systems in other states and will share their research results with students conducting similar research in other parts of the country.  Finally, as citizens, they will be able to make informed decisions about land use as it affects waterways.

 Description

   Our project will concentrate on the determination of trophic levels of water sources in Austin, Texas.  Students will discover the importance of water as a resource and ways to keep the waterways healthy for our community.  The students will be responsible for learning the processes that age a water source.  They can then determine a water source’s stage of eutrophication.  Students will participate in various activities throughout the project, including a data analysis workshop using Excel that will allow them to analyze data collected from the structured lab, various internet resources, and their own water testing analysis.  Working with Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) water quality experts, students will learn experimental design and well as getting contact with possible careers in science (part of the TEKS, the state curriculum).  The students will also learn nutrient cycles and their role in the life cycle of a lake. Within our project the students will learn about the nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and water cycles. The majority of these cycles will be learned through benchmark lessons, but others will be learned through inquiry-based activities. One activity within the project allows the students to construct the nitrogen cycle using various clues about the pools and processes and can use these creations to discuss possible alterations to the cycle in the water sources that they are studying in Austin.  The students will also learn about the process of respiration, the food chain and ecological succession and how all of these processes relate to the aging of water sources. The activity for aquatic respiration will allow the students to use laboratory microcosms and Water on the Web data to explore the effects of respiration on the water chemistry of lakes. Within this activity the students will learn that the simple act of respiration can have a profound effect on an ecosystem. This project will also allow the students to take a field experience to a local Austin lake to collect data and allow the students to work very closely with a Lower Colorado River Authority representative to learn how government officials test and determine the safety of water sources are in the Austin area. The project will end with a final project presentation which consists of the student’s experiments as well as the conclusions they had made after completing the experiments. The students will conduct water quality tests on various sites within the Austin area and determine which trophic level is at. This will help the students determine if the water is safe to use within the community.

Rationale                                                         

Our precious lakes and rivers provide fresh water for drinking and daily use, and people of all ages value waterways for their beauty, for recreation and for their unique aquatic ecosystems.  The nutrient content and species composition change naturally as a lake ages.  However, human activities also impact the condition of our waterways.  A recent international study by 1,360 scientists from 95 nations determined humans have “polluted or over-exploited two thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past fifty years,” and it predicts devastating consequences in less than 100 years (Reuters, 5/30/05).  Human impact on natural resources will move to the forefront of policy making within the students’ lives.  Students must have a thorough understanding of the variables which affect water to make lifestyle and political decisions.

In this six week project, students will test local waterways with a LCRA water expert, collect water quality data from other areas, and compare their research to similar projects.  Scientists will also mentor students in design and implementation of experiments to determine potential human-driven effects on aquatic systems.  Usually studied late in the year, if at all, ecology receives only superficial coverage even though it is a macroscopic topic which may seem more interesting and accessible to students.

Studies show that students involved in project based learning take control over their own learning and acquire a better understanding of content and scientific processes (Barron, 1998).  The final products, a written report and presentation will be shared with a wider audience, students in other classes and representatives from LCRA respectively, so students will practice vital communication skills beyond demonstrating competence to the teacher (Bruce and Rubin, 1993, Electronic Quills).

Potential Impact

This project will include students at the ____ level who are taking Aquatic Science as an elective. Currently ____ students are enrolled in Aquatic Science, which is a one semester course currently taught by ____ teacher. The project resources may be used each semester for several years to come, and we estimate that the same materials would be used to conduct this project for at least five years. Conducting this project over a span of several years will enrich the learning experience by allowing students to see how the same bodies of water change from year to year. Assuming that enrollment in Aquatic Science remains the same and this project is taught during each semester of the next five years, approximately __________ students will participate in this research.

            A significant portion of this project involves internet research on existing water monitoring projects such as those found at http://waterontheweb.org. Internet resources could be used to exchange water quality reports with students in other parts of the country who are conducting similar research.

            Students will present their reports to representatives from the Lower Colorado River Authority and other local groups interested in water quality; for example, neighborhood associations in the vicinities the tested waterways. In this way, the results of the students’ research will inform many individuals outside the school and their efforts will enhance ties between the school and the community.

Evaluation

The proposed projects has five main goals which we will address will appropriate assessments.  At the end of the project, our students will have 1. increased content knowledge in ecology, specifically nutrient and energy cycles and population dynamics, 2. increased capacity for scientific thinking, 3. increased oral and written communication skills, 4. increased confidence in areas of content knowledge, scientific thinking and communication skills, and 5. increased interest or more positive attitudes towards science.

            To test content knowledge, our students’ scores on the ecology portion of the TAKS test will be compared with our previous years students’ scores on the same portion.  We may also compare the project completing students scores with students taught by other teachers, if we find these students have similar test scores.

Using published tests which are known to be valid, reliable, and fair, we will administer and pre and post assessment of students’ scientific thinking and communication skills.  We would also have the students submit proposals to a science fair committee after completing the projects and compare the feedback with that of a class who submitted proposals but did not complete the project.

We will give the students a survey at the beginning and end of our project.  The survey will assess students’ confidence in content knowledge, scientific thinking, communication skills, as well as their attitudes towards science.  Using paired comparisons, we will determine if the students experienced increased confidence and attitudes as a result of this project.  Also, we will test to see if the number of students who enroll in additional science courses or science clubs increases after our project.

Budget