Upper Dublin High School Advanced Placement Environmental Science students have been engaged in hands-on water studies, collecting data from local water sources and drawing their own conclusions regarding ecological health. These water studies support the environmental science course curriculum, which explores water quality factors and assessment, aquatic ecology, and water pollution.
Under the guidance of Upper Dublin High School science faculty member Chris Smith, the students have been testing water at their local nature center, Robbins Park, evaluating the levels of dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, carbon dioxide, turbidity, alkalinity and more. Then, on October 8, the students embarked on a yearly kayaking adventure along a segment of the Schuylkill River, where they conducted similar tests and also added macroinvertebrate samplings for calculations of the Biotic Index, a metric that measures the health of an environment by evaluating the types and amounts of organisms present. Their chosen section of the Schuylkill River offered a compelling opportunity for study because of its dynamic nature, with several inflows and outflows, and its overall history, which included the transport of coal and a series of improvements to its quality following the passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972.
Upper Dublin High School student Sophia Sirianni was among the students helping to conduct these water quality tests and participated in the kayaking trip. “This form of experimental learning has significantly enhanced my understanding and appreciation for the depth of this course,” said Sirianni. “I feel lucky to be introduced to a course that teaches us skills that apply to real life: learning a concept and then using skills-based learning for full comprehension.”
While this has been an annual learning experience for Upper Dublin High School students for the past 25 years, new this school year, the students are exploring applications of their studies happening in university laboratories, specifically the “BiCycles” (biogeochemical cycles lab) at the University of Pennsylvania, which is directed by biogeochemist Dr. Jon Hawkings in the Earth and Environmental Science Department.
Upper Dublin’s Smith first connected with Hawkings while exploring Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs) and found that Hawkings’ lab studies represented an extension of his course curriculum.
“Since joining Penn, I have been eager to establish meaningful connections with the local community. Collaborating with Chris and Upper Dublin has been a natural fit, given his interests in local water quality and his ongoing river sampling initiatives,” said Hawkings. “I’m delighted to provide Chris and his students access to our advanced analytical instrumentation and support hands-on research experiences. My goal is to inspire younger generations to explore water and climate science and to consider further study and careers in earth and environmental sciences.”
To explore a future partnership, Smith participated in Hawkings’ samplings of Schuylkill waterways and the analysis of those samples using their sophisticated lab equipment. Smith also brought one of his seniors at the time, Brady Hillman, to Hawkings’ lab for a trial of how his students might benefit from the experience in the future.
“By introducing my students to the precision and accuracy that can be achieved in a university environment, I can connect them with real-world applications of our curriculum,” said Smith. “It also is an opportunity to show them what is possible if they choose to continue in this path.”
Smith plans to share some of the recent water samples with Hawkings’ lab and to continue offering students the opportunity to experience water quality research firsthand.
