University Park, Pa. -- Last month, 43 new Penn State students got an early start to their University experiences by participating in biology and speech communications classes as part of the 2003 Learning Edge Academic Program (LEAP).
The life sciences LEAP section, or "pride" (as in a "pride" of lions), incorporated biology 110S, speech communication 100A and a first year seminar into an intensive jumpstart of the students' first year. As part of biology 110S and the first-year seminar, instructors James Minesky and Leslie Katzman arranged for the students to take a field trip to Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, an outreach resource of Penn State in northern Huntingdon County, to perform an assessment of the Shaver's Creek Watershed.
The group was hosted by George Vahoviak, a program director at Shaver's Creek and director of the center's Department of Environmental Protection-funded Growing Greener Project, aimed at bringing together students, their communities and their watershed through a local watershed assessment project.
The watershed assessment included a biotic index and a series of abiotic tests.
The biotic index is a numerical rating of the stream's quality, calculated from a count of species diversity within the stream. The species encountered by the group included mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies.
Abiotic tests included the sampling and measuring of the stream's temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH level. The course instructors say that collectively, the results of the abiotic tests bear out the reasons why certain aquatic organisms are either present in or absent from the stream.
After conducting the abiotic and biotic sampling, a wrap-up linked together the results of the stream study with a look at the human activity within the surrounding watershed. During this, the group looked at how human activities impact the quality of the stream habitat.
Organizers say that by participating in this experience, the LEAP students gained direct insight -- using multiple disciplines including biology, chemistry, geology, hydrology and soils -- in a hands-on, field-based activity. They hope that the new students gained an increased sense of environmental awareness, along with an exposure to the vast resources available to them through Penn State. For instance, the visit to Shaver's Creek gave them a peek at the resources that the surrounding Stone Valley Recreation Area (740 acres) and Stone Valley Experimental Forest (8,000 acres) have to offer.
For more information about LEAP, visit http://www.psu.edu/summersession/LEAP/
For more information about Shaver's Creek Environmental Education Center, visit http://www.ShaversCreek.org , call (814) 863-2000 or (814) 667-3424, or e-mail ShaversCreek@outreach.psu.edu
A Penn State Outreach resource, Shaver's Creek serves more than 100,000 people each year with environmental education and teambuilding programs.