Testing the waters

This fall, an after-school group of urban teens literally got their feet wet in college-level research as they worked side-by-side with University of Dayton students on an environment study of the Wolf Creek watershed.

The teenagers, in grades six through 12, attend Adventure Central, the Wesleyan MetroPark education center in Dayton. They will join up with the college students again next week for an on-campus public presentation of their findings at 4 p.m. Dec. 5 in the UD Science Center Auditorium.

“The UD students served as mentors to the teenagers, and the younger students have had a unique opportunity to meet, plan and work alongside scientists and be exposed to a university setting,” said Joanne Troha, director of community service learning for UD’s Fitz Center for Leadership in Community. “They visited UD, discussed college and careers and will also extend their learning to others through a future service project they help design.”

Throughout the semester, the two groups have been collecting data including water quality, flow and animal life on Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Great Miami River that runs past Adventure Central, said UD geology professor Katie Schoenenberger, who leads the college course with UD biology professor Kelly Bohrer.

The students met at Adventure Central to study the fish population using electrofishing, which passes an electric current through the water to bring the fish to the surface. On other visits, they collected insect life in the stream, examined glacial sediments and discussed the importance of environmental awareness.

“The two groups had so many conversations about ‘Why should we care?’ ‘Who does this affect?’ ‘What actions are we doing that add to the problem?’ and ‘How can we be kinder to the watershed?’ ” Bohrer said.

The partnership was funded by a $5,000 grant secured by the University’s Fitz Center, Troha said. The grant was a portion of a Learn and Serve America grant that was awarded to a statewide consortium led by Otterbein College, Ohio Campus Compact and the University of Cincinnati.

Adventure Central sponsors after-school programs for school-age children that include homework help, reading and working on hands-on projects that often feature an environmental education or community theme, Troha said.

The goal of the grant is to help young people feel more connected to their communities through learning projects that involve service and incorporate working with community partners in designing and carrying out the project.

Part of the grant went to purchase testing equipment for Adventure Central students to continue studying the creek and encourage them to take responsibility for the environment, Schoenenberger said.