Regional Science Consortium

Visit our website for this week's harmful algal bloom results. When in doubt, stay out!
https://www.regsciconsort.com/harmf.../local-hab-advisories/

Check out what our Education staff and students have been up to this summer!

Four Season of STEAM Summer Camp Video Regional Science Consortium and DCNR host students for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Presque Isle State Park!To learn more visit www.regsciconsort.com

In collaboration with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the RSC Team has been monitoring three Litter Booms twice a week on the campuses of Erie Waterworks and Wolverine Park Marina. The litter captured in the booms is collected, categorized, and weighed. The variety of litter ranges from cigarette butts to plastic bottles to Styrofoam - and every piece removed makes a difference. The RSC Team also collects water quality data to track parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. All data is submitted to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful as part of a larger effort across the state.

Aadya Gupta – First Recipient of Deb Beard Scholarship!!

The RSC and the Deb Beard Scholarship committee have
chosen a winner! After sorting through a number of excellent
applications and much deliberation, McDowell High School
graduate, Aadya Gupta has been selected as the inaugural
winner of this prestigious award.

Aadya, a straight-A honors student, plans to attend Brown
University seeking a major in biochemistry. The hard work she
devoted to her studies, obtaining an EMT certification, and
hours of volunteer work earned her a spot in Brown’s
Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), allowing her
to seamlessly continue her education at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School.

After
her schooling is complete, Aadya plans to return to Erie County and use her expertise to
serve our rural communities. In her application essay, Aadya writes “My ultimate
objective is to return home to Erie as a physician, using my education in the sciences to
shape my community for the better.”

Deborah “Deb” Beard was a much-loved high school science teacher in the Erie City
School District. She was devoted to helping her community, colleagues, and students
through education. This scholarship was created in her honor, and we believe Deb
would be proud to award Aadya Gupta this prize.
If you are interested in supporting students like Aadya, consider donating to the
Regional Science Consortium Deb Beard Scholarship Program.
Deb Beard Memorial STEM Scholarship Program | Regional Science Consortium
https://www.regsciconsort.com/deb-beard-memorial-beach-clean-up/

🏕️🥾 Camping, Nature, Science, Exploration, and more! The Regional Science Consortium was thrilled to host an overnight camping experience at Presque Isle State Park, in collaboration with Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Last week, students from Iroquois, General McLane SD and Harbor Creek School District joined us for a thrilling 2 days for the Four Seasons of STEAM Summer Camp. All of these students participated in a series of programs throughout the year, which gave them the chance to explore the wilderness!

🦠🧫 Upon arrival, these students dove straight into field work, collecting water samples and macroinvertebrates, and surveying fish species in priority wetlands. They were able to process their samples for bacteria using vacuum filtration back at the RSC research labs.

After some intense lab work, they headed back out into the field to enjoy a tour of the lagoons on the Pontoon Boat. We were lucky enough to spot a Spiny Softshell turtle basking in the sun! 🐢

The rest of the experience was filled with fishing, a tour of the lighthouse, a cast-iron cooking class, and a thrilling night hike on the beach!

The Regional Science Consortium will continue to provide programming this summer, and you can still register your students! View the link for more information: https://www.regsciconsort.com/ssel-summer-camps/

DCNR has many great programs this July! Check out the flyer for more information.

School may be out for the summer, but that didn't stop these students from being environmental stewards on a beautiful day!

Students from General McLane SD developed a Riparian Buffer plant design for the stream property on their school's campus. They all teamed together last Friday to implement their design.

They chose native plants such as Joe Pye W**d, Black Elderberry, Red Osier Dogwood, Swamp Rose, Cardinal Flower, Fox Sedge, Winterberry, Dark Green Bulrush, and Southern Blue Flag Iris.

These plants will support the environment and provide erosion control along the stream. Congrats to these wonderful students for taking on the responsibility of becoming Watershed Stewards in their community!

Come check out our new exhibit, Plastics: Big & Small, at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center! Located on the first floor, this exhibit includes a kid's activity and free showings of the film Ripples of Plastic, which highlights plastic pollution in Lake Erie, Monday-Friday at 1:00 pm and Saturdays at 2:30 pm. Plastics: Big & Small is a project of the Regional Science Consortium and the Tom Ridge Environmental Center Foundation.