CRELI Science - Week 2 Reflection
Day 1 - Project Oceanology
Students participated in Project Oceanology, a marine science and environmental education organization operated through University of Connecticut-Avery Point. Throughout the program, students got to utilize their understanding of previous models through hands-on activities on a research vessel.
The students participated in two different activities using the research vessel (Environ-Lab II). One activity involved the students capturing organisms in nets from the ocean and identifying them.
The second activity dealt with students doing some water testing measuring such things as temperature, density, pH, and carbon dioxide concentration.
Day 2 - Water Microbes
Today's lesson started with a bit of fun. Using the fact that one of the science teachers had a problem with his home's water, I suggested acting as if the teacher is infected with a pathogen and that one way to detect the pathogen is using a black light. In reality, the teacher used Glo Germ, an invisible powder that glows under a black light. This was used to model the spread of real pathogens. Glo Germ was spread throughout the room, doorknobs, and on the teacher. The teacher escalated things a bit by having another teacher call his cell phone and acting like they were health services. It was pretty fun watching the students' reaction to danger of germ spreading.
Students then compared and contrasted the Glo Germ with actual germs.
The students then started another activity involving using water from the CT River that has been filtered, but not disinfected. The microorganisms in the CT River were then cultured in a Petri dish of agar and incubated for analysis tomorrow.
Day 3 - Acid Rain
Students completed a project modeling the effects of acid rain on the environment. To cement the ideas behind acids, bases, and pH, students interacted with everyday solutions and comparing their pH level using litmus paper.
Students then used this knowledge to model how acid rain affects the environment using different materials such as limestone and the bacteria that were previous cultured.
Day 4 - Project Oceanology
This was the second day of going to Project Oceanology. The other half of the CRELI students experienced Project O.
Day 5 - Water Conservation
The last day of CRELI involved having the students be apart of a presentation on water conservation.
