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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FRIDAY HARBOR LABS |
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Related pagesJAZZ at the LABS Jazz at the Labs supports science in the classroom (2006) Not your typical science classroom (jazz preview 2005) Jazz at the Labs supports science in the classroom (2004) OPEN HOUSE Open House 2007
Open House 2005 Open House 2003 Global impacts of "Bug Station's" century of research 100 Years of Exploration and Discovery - University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs Centennial Exhibit Centennial celebration included dedication of the Centennial Helen Riaboff Whiteley Center NECROPSY STORY: | |
Not your typical science classroomPhotos by Sharon Kivisto
posted 05/25/05
UW Professor Bruce Miller's classes began collecting information at the site in the 1960s. Lyle Britt of Alaska Fisheries said the data set is one of the largest in the state. Historically the nearshore habitat was thought to be unimportant, Britt said. Opinions have changed in recent years. One example: San Juan County's $500,000 portion of the state's San Juan Recovery funds will be used for nearshore habitat projects/studies. The science project at Jacksons beach is part of the UW Friday Harbor Labs K-12 Outreach program. Alana Hysert, student coordinator of the program, along with UW students and parent volunteers helped the elementary students identify organisms. Fourth-grader Sarah Clark said the students worked in their Friday Harbor Elementary School classrooms creating cards illustrating the different types of marine life which might be found in eelgrass. They used their newfound knowledge at the beach. A seine net was used to gather sea life from the eelgrass. The organisms were placed in a plastic pool. UW students poured buckets of water from the pool into pools for the three groups of students. After the creatures were identified they were returned to the water. The labs raises funds for the K-12 program through its Jazz at the Labs concert. This year's concert is scheduled for Saturday, June 4, 2005. For reservations and information, call 360-378-2165 ext. 0. | |
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University Supported Biology and Marine Science … For KidsBy Ralph Hahn posted 09/16/05
The real story, however, is not the event but the beneficiaries … the school children of San Juan Island. Revenue from the event, organized by Bob Schwartzberg (Director of Development at the Labs), Jenny Roberts (Science Outreach Program Coordinator), and Alana Hysert (Assistant Outreach Coordinator) is used to bring "hands-on, inquiry-based" science to the school children of San Juan and Lopez Islands. The Program, organized and coordinated by Roberts and Hysert also takes the students to the Labs' facilities (which includes their marine research vessel - the Centennial) to interact with staff professors and researchers. What is the content of the program? Second graders learn how to scientifically distinguish between plants and animals, which can be very complex when considering marine species. Aboard the University's research vessel, third graders learn how to test water for clarity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature as well as how these factors relate to the health of marine life. They study pictures from the Labs underwater robot and learn the names of marine creatures. They also learn about "invasive" clams program through hands-on research at Argyle Beach. The 3rd graders then teach what they have learned to 1st graders. Fourth graders study the relationship between water temperature, water clarity, water quality and the metabolic rate of fish, part of the 4th grade Salmon unit. They study eelgrass and its relationship to forage fish and their place in the "food chain" of salmon and ultimately … the Orcas. They also learn how watersheds (there are eleven on San Juan Island) affect water quality in Sound. Fifth graders participate in water quality sampling at the Friday Harbor marina, learning how to take samples and the tests that are conducted on their samples. All results are reported to Port staff. Sixth graders learn to identify marine species by phylum, continue the study of eelgrass and "soft sediment" habitats, as well as "rocky shore" ecosystems. Seventh, eighth, and high school students participate in ever more sophisticated experiments and scientific study involving a variety of test equipment, sample gathering methodology, and advanced research. The goals of the Science Outreach program are to:
Students at all levels have the opportunity to meet, hear, interact and practice science with University professors and researchers. The Outreach program began five years ago as a partnership between the Friday Harbor Labs, the San Juan Island School District, Spring Street School, and the San Juan County Conservation District. The Labs financial share was provided by the University for the first two years. When the University's funding ended, Bob Schwartzberg asked that the revenue from the "Jazz" fundraiser be reallocated to support the Science Outreach Program. The Conservation District used funds from a Department of Ecology grant to fund its share. The School District also has had to cut its funds for budget reasons and the San Juan Public Schools Foundation has picked up the responsibility to raise the money to continue the partnership. This year the San Juan Nature Institute joined the partnership and is using the Outreach's education model to offer similar science programs to Lopez, Shaw, and Orcas Islands school children. Schwartzberg and Roberts both emphasized that the Outreach Program would not exist without community support, specifically Caldwell Banker and Steve Buck, Countrywide Home Loans, Ed and Peg Strickland, IPS and Charley and Lynn Myers, the Masonic Lodge, Wells Fargo, Islanders Insurance and Kerwin Johnson, D.A. Davidson Company and Libby Thompson, and San Juan Propane. Anyone wishing to learn more or to donate to keep the program going may do so by contacting Bob Schwartzberg or Jenny Roberts (378-2165) or by donating to the San Juan Public Schools Foundation (who are raising the funds to fund the school district's share of the costs).
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