6/08/2017  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  301A

VISION AND CHANGE IN BIOLOGY EDUCATION: THE RISE OF DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC PRACTITIONERS ENGAGING IN THE SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR FRESHWATER SCIENCE The Vision and Change report identifies core concepts and competencies for undergraduate biology education and includes recommendations on how to improve undergraduate biology education to better prepare all undergraduates for the biology-related challenges of the 21st century. This has led to the growing movement of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in biology and an increase in inquiry-based learning in the classroom and lab. SoTL is an important and worthwhile form of scholarship and allows those with discipline specific research to advance the practice of teaching in their respective fields. The components of inquiry-based learning include: 1) eliciting prior knowledge, 2) construction of new and better understanding, and 3) a reflection on learning. It’s a constructivist approach whereby students are actively scaffolding knowledge based on their experiences and interactions. This presentation will provide an overview of SoTL, explore current teaching resources available through the Society of Freshwater Science, inform freshwater scientists on how to engage in this type of scholarship, and most importantly, encourage contributions that can educate students and the public to help in designing our freshwater futures.

Kaleb Heinrich (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Alabama, kheinrich@ua.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   14:15 - 14:30   |  301A

FRESHWATER SCIENCE OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY GATES: BRINGING SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO THE PUBLIC Science education can take place in more settings than the traditional college classroom. Communicating science outside of a university setting allows researchers to broadcast their findings to a wide audience, inform people about locally occurring research, and can be personally rewarding to the scientist. Furthermore, proposing public education opportunities programs is an important component of the broader impacts of many federal funding programs. This presentation is designed for graduate students (and others) who are interested in learning about the myriad of options for extra-curricular science engagement. We will discuss various formats used to work with K-12 school groups, ranging from in-class demonstrations to Bioblitz activities. Also presented are ideas for engaging with general public through community programs. There are also sources of federal funding available for the development of ambitious designs. Developing skills in disseminating scientific information, especially related to freshwater science, is an increasingly important aspect of career development and a necessary part of our contribution to society.

Sarah Whorley (Primary Presenter/Author), Daemen University, swhorley@daemen.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  301A

BOTTOM-UP VERSUS TOP-DOWN CONTROLS ON PHYTOPLANKTON: AN IN-SITU MICROCOSM STUDY AS A COLLABORATIVE LABORATORY EXERCISE. We use 20 L clear plastic water containers as microcosms deployed in a local pond after manipulating nitrogen, phosphorus or microcrustacean zooplankton densities in replicate containers. Sets of replicate containers are filled with (1) lake water (controls); (2) lake water plus phosphorus or nitrogen (+P or +N treatment); (3) lake water poured through a zooplankton net to remove microcrustacean zooplankton (-Z treatment); (4) filtered lake water plus we add phosphorus (+P/-Z treatment). Sets of 4 containers (one of each treatment) are attached to buoys and left in the pond for 4 weeks (usually 4-6 replicates/treatment). When containers are retrieved, students quantify phosphorus concentrations (500 ml sample), we take 1-2 L samples for phytoplankton quantification (chlorophyll a analysis or we do phytoplankton identification and enumeration), and they filter the rest of the water in the containers (~18 L) through a zooplankton net to determine zooplankton densities. This exercise has been done as a collaborative lab between classes in introductory biology, ecology, and phycology. We have observed both bottom-up and top-down controls with these experiments. Data will be presented from several iterations of this experiment.

Randy Fuller (POC,Primary Presenter), Colgate University, rfuller@colgate.edu;


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6/08/2017  |   14:45 - 15:00   |  301A

Getting Stormwater Science Into the Classroom Fairfax County, Virginia is a 400-square-mile locality within the Washington D.C. metro area that is home to more than 1.1 million residents. As the County continued to develop, the condition of streams and aquatic life declined. Today, the Stormwater Management Division is leading the region in protecting and restoring our local watersheds through improved regulations, and structural and non-structural stormwater enhancements. Stormwater Management staff have formed a strong partnership with the Fairfax County Public School system to educate the next generation of student scientists who understand their role in keeping our streams and watersheds healthy. Over the last several years, staff have worked with teachers, students and curriculum writers to develop a series of County-specific education and outreach tools such the Stormy the Raindrop education campaign, the Fairfax County Field Guide to Plants and Animals, Meaningful Watershed Education Experience field trips, Sewer Science, Stream Crime Investigation labs and the Citizen Scientist Floatable Monitoring Program. Each of these tools provide real world connections to the Virginia Standards of Learning through experiential and hands-on teaching moments.

Danielle Wynne (Primary Presenter/Author), Fairfax County, VA Government, danielle.wynne@fairfaxcounty.gov;
Danielle Wynne has been a freshwater ecologist with the Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division since 2002. Ms. Wynne has an undergraduate degree in Biology and Master's degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. Her duties include stream insect and fish surveys, bacteria sampling, and field assessments of habitat and water quality. She leads the award-winning Watershed Education and Outreach section and has a passion for working with students and teachers to help promote the importance of environmental stewardship and education. Ms. Wynne has worked with thousands of students and looks forward to educating many thousands more.

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6/08/2017  |   15:00 - 15:15   |  301A

INTEGRATING SERVICE LEARNING INTO FRESHWATER EDUCATION: ENHANCING CONTENT KNOWLDEGE THROUGH REFLECTION AND SERVICE Service-learning is a type of experiential education where students critically reflect on their participation in activities addressing community needs in order to produce desired learning outcomes. Service-learning differs from volunteerism and community service as it actively incorporates critical reflection and learning into community-based activities. Moreover, service-learning differs from traditional field-based education and internship experiences because it addresses community needs. Here, we present a newly-designed, service-learning course in urban ecology, focused on service experiences relating to urban watersheds. We will review the different components needed to support effective service learning and will use materials and activities generated for the class to emphasize these points. Specifically, we will discuss the components of critical reflection and provide insights as to how to incorporate reflection into different kinds of classroom and field-based activities. Additionally, we will present some principles to establish and sustain strong community partnerships. We will describe some of the challenges faced by faculty initiating a service –learning course and put forward ideas to overcome these challenges. Finally, we will discuss how service-learning experiences can be intentionally and effectively designed to support the instructor’s research program.

Krista Capps (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Georgia, kcapps@uga.edu;
Research in Krista Capps's lab is dedicated to understanding how anthropogenic activities alter community structure and ecosystem processes (e.g., productivity, decomposition, and biogeochemical cycling) in freshwater ecosystems. Much of her research has focused on the impacts of consumers on basal food resources, community structure, and nutrient dynamics in streams and wetlands. To translate scientific knowledge to actionable outcomes, she actively works with community groups and local, state, and federal employees to develop programs that integrate stakeholder concerns into research planning.

Paul Matthews ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Georgia, pmatthew@uga.edu ;


Shannon Wilder ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Georgia, swilder@uga.edu ;


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