Cognitive and Learning Sciences News

Twelve middle and high school teachers and community college instructors from Michigan and Indiana–including one from Houghton, two from Dollar Bay and one from L’Anse–are in at Michigan Tech this week, studying the Great Lakes and the Lake Superior watershed.

They will be investigating how changes in local watersheds impact the Great Lakes, how teachers can use data and environmental service-learning to address watershed issues, and how teachers and students can create projects that meaningfully address Great Lakes watershed issues and stewardship needs.

For more information, please contact Joan Chadde, jchadde@mtu.edu; 906-487-3341

From Tech Today.

Free scientific excursions aboard Michigan Tech’s research vessel Agassiz will be held at the Strawberry Festival, 1-5 p.m., Saturday, July 12 at Chassell Marina. “How do scientists assess the health of Lake Superior” is the focus of the excursions.

The public is invited to sign up for a free 30-minute excursion by calling the Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education at 7-3341 or coming to the Chassell Marina dock on Saturday between 12:30 and 4 p.m. Spaces go quickly. On-site sign-ups begin at 12:30 p.m. with first departure at 1 p.m. Half of the spaces will be saved for onsite participants.

On each scientific excursion, a Marcel Dykstra, a Michigan Tech Great Lakes scientist, will demonstrate how sampling equipment is used to collect plankton and sediment, evaluate water clarity, temperature and turbidity, which tell us about the health of Chassell Bay. Microscopes will be on shore so participants can view the organisms. Participants will investigate the connection between land uses and the health of the Great Lakes.

Scientific excursions will depart from the Chassell Marina dock approximately every half hour. Space is limited to 15 persons per excursion (children must be at least 7 years of age and accompanied by an adult). Life jackets are available for all passengers.

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) demonstrations will also be conducted from the Chassell Marina dock throughout the afternoon.

“Copper Country residents and visitors are encouraged to learn how scientists study the Great Lakes and what factors contribute to a healthy lake,” explains Joan Chadde, education program director. “These scientific excursions for the public have been offered at the Strawberry Festival since 2006 and have been extremely popular. Youth and adults enjoy the opportunity to interact with Great Lakes scientists and get their questions answered.”

The event is coordinated by the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education and Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center. This year, the program is funded by the GM Ride the Waves Program putting more than 500 Copper Country youth and adults on the water to learn about the Great Lakes and promote STEM careers, along with support from the Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society and the Chassell Lions Club.

For more information or to sign up for an excursion, call 7-3341. More information on the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative is available online.

From Tech Today.

Free scientific excursions aboard Michigan Tech’s research vessel Agassiz will be held at the Strawberry Festival, 1-5 p.m., Saturday, July 12 at Chassell Marina. “How do scientists assess the health of Lake Superior?” is the focus of the excursions.

The public is invited to sign up for a free 30-minute excursion by calling the Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education at 7-3341 or coming to the Chassell Marina dock on Saturday between 12:30 and 4 p.m. Spaces go quickly. On-site sign-ups begin at 12:30 p.m. with first departure at 1 p.m. Half of the spaces will be saved for onsite participants.

On each scientific excursion, a Marcel Dykstra, a Michigan Tech Great Lakes scientist, will demonstrate how sampling equipment is used to collect plankton and sediment, evaluate water clarity, temperature and turbidity, which tell us about the health of Chassell Bay. Microscopes will be on shore so participants can view the organisms. Participants will investigate the connection between land uses and the health of the Great Lakes.

Scientific excursions will depart from the Chassell Marina dock approximately every half hour. Space is limited to 15 persons per excursion (children must be at least 7 years of age and accompanied by an adult). Life jackets are available for all passengers.

Remotely-Operated-Vehicle (ROV) demonstrations will also be conducted from the Chassell Marina dock throughout the afternoon.

“Copper Country residents and visitors are encouraged to learn how scientists study the Great Lakes and what factors contribute to a healthy lake,” explains Joan Chadde, education program director. “These scientific excursions for the public have been offered at the Strawberry Festival since 2006 and have been extremely popular. Youth and adults enjoy the opportunity to interact with Great Lakes scientists and get their questions answered.”

The event is coordinated by the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education and Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center. This year, the program is funded by the GM Ride the Waves Program putting more than 500 Copper Country youth and adults on the water to learn about the Great Lakes and promote STEM careers, along with support from the Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society and the Chassell Lions Club.

For more information or to sign up for an excursion, call 487-3341. More information on the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative is available online.

From Tech Today.

‘How do scientists assess the health of Torch Lake?’ is the theme of free scientific excursions on Michigan Tech’s research vessel Agassiz on July 4 at the Lake Linden Village Park and Marina. Four scientific excursions will leave the Lake Linden Marina dock from noon to 3 p.m. On-site sign-up begins at 11:30 a.m. Trips depart at noon, 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Space is limited; the Agassiz’s capacity is 14.

On each scientific excursion, a Michigan Tech Great Lakes scientist will demonstrate the use of sampling equipment to collect plankton, sediment and other water-quality information that reveal the health of the lake. Microscopes will be available on land for participants to view the aquatic organisms. Participants will investigate the connection between land use and the health of the Great Lakes. Participants must be at least 7 years of age. Life jackets are available for all passengers.

Amy Keranen of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Remediation and Redevelopment Division will be on hand to answer questions about MDEQ’s work on Torch Lake in Lake Linden, Hubbell and Tamarack City.

“Copper Country residents and visitors are invited to learn how scientists study the Great Lakes and what factors contribute to a healthy lake,” explains Joan Chadde, education program director at he Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education and the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Tech, coordinators of the event. “These scientific excursions for the public have been offered at the Chassell Strawberry Festival since 2006 and have been extremely popular. Youth and adults enjoy the opportunity to interact with Great Lakes scientists and ask questions. We wanted to make this available to Lake Linden residents too.”

This year’s excursions are funded by the GM Ride the Waves program, which puts more than 500 Copper Country youth and adults on the water to learn about the Great Lakes, along with support from the Michigan Tech Center for Water and Society.

To sign up in advance for an excursion, call 7-3341.

From Tech Today.

Twelve middle and high school teachers will be on campus for the 5-day Global Change Teacher Institute, which has been offered annually since 2005. The institute provides a real-world study of the effects of global change on ecosystems, including the impacts of climatic change on forests–elevated carbon dioxide and ozone levels, nitrogen saturation, acid rain and invasive species.

Teachers will participate in the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support (MEECS) Climate Change workshop and receive a copy of the new MEECS Climate Change Unit. The institute is partially supported by a National Science Foundation. Andrew Burton is the lead faculty instructor. The institute is coordinated by Joan Chadde and the Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.

From Tech Today.

The Michigan Tech Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) is partnering with Portage Lake District Library to host a special science program to give participants a hands-on look at how scientists study the Great Lakes and what lives there.

The program is scheduled for 6-9 p.m., Tuesday, July 1. It begins at the Library, on the waterfront in downtown Houghton. Participants will ride the Agassiz to the GLRC, where they’ll visit a laboratory to use microscopes to get a close-up look at the water. They will also dissect a fish stomach to find out what they eat. After the lab, participants travel by Michigan Tech van back to the library for more activities, including:
Book activity in the Library Community Room
Remotely operated vehicle (ROV), by the Dollar Bay High School SOAR group, outside the library on the dock
Scientific excursion on the Agassiz, open to ages 7 and up, departure times 6 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.
Boatmaking in the library

Reserve a space on the Agassiz by calling the Portage Lake District Library at 482-4570, or sign up at the library checkout desk. Space is limited.

For more information contact: Joan Chadde at 7-3341 at the GLRC or Chris Alquist at 482-4570 at the Portage Lake District Library.

From Tech Today.

This week Joan Chadde, education program coordinator for Michigan Tech’s Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, and Christopher Hohnholt, development and outreach director for the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, are in Detroit conducting the Urban Forestry Teacher Institute June 23-27 with teachers from across lower Michigan. They are touring the Hardwoods of Michigan sawmill in Clinton, Hawk Woods Nature Center in Auburn Hills and Belle Isle in Detroit. SFRES Dean Terry Sharik was a guest presenter.

From Tech Today.