Third graders as biodiversity research scientists?
You bet!
It all began early this year when Brookside’s third grade teachers applied to participate in a collaborative project between Binghamton University and Roberson, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), designed to examine the impacts of including art in student education for a community science data collection. The project, Art as a Tool For Science Education and Community Engagement, is offered through Dr. Jessica Hua’s ecology lab at Binghamton University.

In February, our teachers attended a training workshop hosted by Kyra Ricci, a Ph.D. student at Binghamton University. The workshop provided teachers with free lesson plans, materials, and guidance on science teaching from a team of university researchers. The lessons target education about biodiversity (specifically local wetland biodiversity), structure and function, and systems and system models. Students have been taking part in surveys and lesson activities. Pictured at left are Shelby Reid, Aliya Riley and Derek Fisher displaying some of the work they’ve been doing.

One of the perks of signing on to the project is a free field trip to Roberson, scheduled for May 25, during which students will learn more about the biodiversity of the wetlands and nature preserve on the Binghamton University campus, and how to identify local wetland species, including tadpoles and macroinvertebrates. Students will participate in real data collection, identifying samples from the nature preserve to help scientists better understand local biodiversity. Students will graph their data on an interactive map and will be asked to complete a brief survey before and after completing the field trip. 

As you might imagine, the students and teachers are very pleased about being able to take part in scientific research by assisting researchers in collecting real data!