Engaging Young Students

Three Rivers Community College’s Environmental Engineering Technology and  STRONG- CT scholars/students decided that it was time to start educating the younger generation about water quality, non point source pollution, sustainability and yes insects!! 

So on March 27th they went to Oswegathie elementary school in Waterford CT. From 9-11 AM to inform the 3rd grade students about the importance of sustainability and biodiversity. And how insect larvae can be utilized as bioindicators of our streams. The college students and their professor used a simulated river, but first collected “bugs” from Harris Brook in Salem, grabbed some rocks for the substrate and off they went.

The Rapid Bioassessment (RBV) is the process of collecting the many different organisms found in our streams and watersheds. The organisms, aquatic invertebrates, live in the bottom parts of our waters. They are also called benthic macroinvertebrates, or benthos, (benthic = bottom, macro = large, invertebrate = animal without a backbone). Benthic macroinvertebrates are aquatic insect larvae or nymphs (immature stage of their lives) that you can see with your naked eye.

The elementary students were able to capture the bugs that they found in the simulated stream and look at what they found under the 3 microscopes that Pfizer donated for the event. There were screams of excitement of seeing the small larvae under the microscope becoming larger than life! Sixty Seven 3rd grade students participated.

The college students are part of the science and technology reaching out to new generations in CT hence STRONG-CT. Diba Khan-Bureau professor and Director of the TRCC STRONG program was very proud of her college students and thrilled to see new scientists of the future. Next, the TRCC plan to visit Third grade students at Norwich Veteran’s Memorial.

                    Finding the insect larvae.....

           STRONG-CT Scholars Samantha Pietrowski, Jordon Rabon,and Nikita Peperni trudge through the streams along with TRCC instructor Ed Natoli                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

   STRONG-CT Scholars:  Kyle Wiersch                                         Larry Turley and Amanda McCarthy                           Diba Khan- Bureau   STRONG-CT  Director  

                                                                                                                                           STRONG-CT Scholars: 

                                                     Sherri Smith, Smantha Pietrouski, Paul Dupkas,  Sara Franklin, and Dan Rush along with the Oswegathie elementary school students