Project Description: The Aquatic Toxicology Outreach Program has been developed to train high school students and teachers to use a modified EPA water toxicity testing protocol to test for toxicity related to agricultural and urban runoff in water collected from the Sacramento River Watershed. The high schools that are involved are: Davis, Laguna Creek, Adelante, Mira Loma, Dixon and Folsom.
This type of teaching differs from seminar-based education because it focuses on hands-on learning and will draw on the school as a resource. Students will learn about culture methodologies, water quality analyses, pollution sources and effects, data collection, and simple data analyses. This program will also impart understanding of scientific concepts such as experimental control, test validation and statistical significance.
Project Locations:
External/Internal Collaborators:
Chris Pincetich and David Hinton, UCD Veterinary Medicine Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology (VMAPC) Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory
Who are the intended beneficiaries/target audience of this project?
High school science teachers and students.
What are the outcomes/impacts of this program?
The outcomes of this project are to foster a sense of stewardship, promote caring about the health of the watershed, and potentially result in a future scientist in our field.
Products:
High school students and teachers trained to conduct water toxicity tests.
Student symposium in Spring 1998 where students will present their results from toxicity tests conducted in their schools.
Funding Sources:
Contact:
Chris Pincetich
Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory, VMAPC
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
530-754-8020
Fax 530-752-9692
capincetich@ucdavis.edu
Rebecca Morrison, CEHS Program Manager
Department of Environmental Toxicology
530-752-2732
Fax 530-752-3394
rlmorrison@ucdavis.edu
Keywords: aquatic, toxicology, water contamination, pesticides, high school outreach
Project Classifications:
Agriculture, Education, Environment, Health, Science/Technology