Everyone on the Research Vessel (R/V) Lake Guardian came aboard the ship with their own story, but one thing united them by the end of the trip: a deeper understanding of the critical importance of Great Lakes literacy.
In July, five educators from Ohio joined science researchers and 10 fellow educators from Great Lakes states to explore Lake Erie first-hand aboard the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s largest research vessel. The experience was part of the Center for Great Lakes Literacy’s Shipboard Science Workshop.
Each year, the Center for Great Lakes Literacy hosts a Shipboard Science Workshop, facilitated by Great Lakes Sea Grant Network educators, on one of the five Great Lakes aboard the U.S. EPA’s R/V Lake Guardian.
Focusing on harmful algal blooms, microplastic pollution, and benthic communities and habitats, the workshop participants spent a week on the Lake Guardian collecting samples, analyzing data, and doing lab work. The crew also spent time in Cleveland, Put-in-Bay, and Erie, Pennsylvania, participating in land-based activities such as a beach clean-up and site visits to wastewater treatment plants and Stone Laboratory, Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and part of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The workshop at Stone Lab was led by Angela Greene, Ohio Sea Grant education specialist.
At the end of the trip, the educators returned with irreplaceable hands-on research experience and a fuller toolbox to help students become scientists.
“I am immensely grateful for this time and the coordinators that have built things like this to grow the confidence of teachers, re-ignite our own passions for science, and allow us to transfer that passion to our students.”
Ethan Jessing
Lyndsey Manzo, an Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab education specialist, said the Shipboard Science Workshop participants from previous years told her it was one of the most valuable professional development experiences in their careers. She considers the workshop to be not only a key tool in spreading passion for preserving the Great Lakes to students, but also in going beyond awareness to prompting real action.
“The one thing that I’m always saying is, ‘how are we helping turn students into scientists?’” Manzo said. “That’s one thing, but as an even bigger thing, how are we moving from awareness to action? We can do a lot of awareness and knowledge in schools, but if we’re not taking any action, we’re not making a change.”
One of the first tests of teamwork was Lake Erie algal sampling on the first night of the voyage. The educators collaborated with the researchers and crew to collect and analyze data on microorganisms and algal reactions.
Now that this year’s workshop has concluded, the Ohio educators will bring their experience back to their students with a more in-depth understanding of the issues facing Lake Erie. In addition to the stipend the educators receive for their participation, they can also fill out a form to receive additional funding of up to $500 each to help pay for meaningful educational experiences for their students. The aim is to minimize the barriers the educators must face to give their students firsthand experiences in the watershed.
This year, Manzo said, the workshop was at its best yet: “It has taken all of the really cool things we’ve learned from all the other ones, and best practices, and we really put them into play. It was the perfect trifecta of research and education and networking.”
The five Ohio educators on board come from all over the state and from a variety of backgrounds. Ethan Jessing and Adam Philpott are science teachers at Hull Prairie Intermediate School and Pickerington North High School, respectively. Alyssa Mills is a graduate student at The Ohio State University in Wooster, while Lara Roketenetz works as a director at the University of Akron’s Field Station. Amanda Miller, an Experience Manager at Toledo’s Imagination Station, even got the unique experience of joining her father as a part of the voyage.
“I am immensely grateful for this time and the coordinators that have built things like this to grow the confidence of teachers, re-ignite our own passions for science, and allow us to transfer that passion to our students,” Jessing said.
At his school, Jessing teaches a class called Nature of STEM, and he also leads the community service initiative Project RIPPLES (Responsible Initiatives for Preservation, Protection, Learning, and Environmental Sustainability) and the after-school Turtle Protectors club, all learning environments that can be enhanced by his involvement in the workshop on Lake Erie.
The Shipboard Science Workshop is just one of the many ways the Center for Great Lakes Literacy and Sea Grant work to improve Great Lakes literacy.
“So much of this region’s livelihood depends on the Great Lakes, from jobs and economics to drinking water, habitat, food, and recreation.” Manzo said. “Great Lakes literacy is so important because back in the day, the lake was very dirty, and we came forward from that. We’ve cleaned it up. We cannot afford to go back and screw it up again with other pollutants. It’s a resource that should be available for every generation.”
The workshop gave the educators on board valuable experience that they can bring back to enrich their teaching. In addition to firsthand experience with research on Lake Erie, they also connected with a new community network of educators enthusiastic about Great Lakes literacy.
The Center for Great Lakes Literacy will check in with educators six months after the workshop through surveys and phone conversations to hear how the educators have integrated their Lake Guardian experience into their classrooms. By helping educators get more involved in the science happening on the Great Lakes and helping spark students’ interest in science, experiences like the Shipboard Science Workshop have been crucial in keeping the forward momentum going.
Each year, the Center for Great Lakes Literacy hosts a Shipboard Science Workshop on one of the Great Lakes in rotation, thanks to a partnership with the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and with funding from Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Learn more about this year’s experience by visiting the 2024 Shipboard Science Workshop interactive website.
Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.