About 80 Comeaux High School students huddled in small groups on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion, one of several 鈥渃lassrooms鈥 they visited on Wednesday to learn about water quality issues.
The students were performing chemistry tests on water samples scooped up in buckets tied to lengths of yellow rope. They also cruised the waterway in large wooden boats, getting a bird鈥檚-eye view of the area鈥檚 watershed.
The field study was conducted as part of the Drains to Coast program coordinated by the Institute for Coastal Ecology and Engineering at the 星空无限传媒. The Institute fosters research on restoration of the nation鈥檚 wetlands and estuaries.
鈥淭he key is for students to buy into coastal restoration, for the next generation to understand the importance of water quality,鈥 said Clair Coussan, an undergraduate student in the University鈥檚 School of Geosciences, who helps to coordinate the program.
Julianne Llewellyn, a Comeaux High School freshman, said testing the water鈥檚 nutrient, oxygen and sediment levels will help her comprehend concepts she鈥檚 learning about in her science classes. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen it on paper, and learned about the math and science behind it, but seeing it up close definitely gives you get a better understanding,鈥 she said.
Comeaux High students will use computer software to analyze the data gleaned during their Wednesday work, said Lisa Ranney, a chemistry teacher there. 鈥淥nce we bring the knowledge back to the classroom, it makes students a little bit more excited about learning.鈥
The Drains to Coast program is funded by a $99,121 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 Bay-Watershed Education and Training Program.
The environmental education project involves collaboration with the Bayou Vermilion District, Lafayette Parish School System, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, and the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program.
About 600 students from Lafayette Parish schools are expected to participate in the two-year Drains to Coast program, said Dr. Whitney Broussard, a research scientist at the Institute for Coastal Ecology and Engineering and the grant鈥檚 principal investigator.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to see so many students engaged and hopefully this will spark an interest in many of them,鈥 Broussard said.
Learn more about the institute at icee.louisiana.edu.
Photo info: Comeaux High School students tested water samples from the Bayou Vermilion on Wednesday as part of the Drains to Coast program spearheaded by the University's Institute for Coastal Ecology and Engineering.