{"id":10964,"date":"2016-03-15T12:56:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-15T16:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/?p=10964"},"modified":"2016-03-15T12:56:58","modified_gmt":"2016-03-15T16:56:58","slug":"narragansett-bay-brings-learning-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/2016\/03\/15\/narragansett-bay-brings-learning-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Narragansett Bay brings learning to life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Paul<\/a>
CCRI Associate Professor Paul White instructs his\u00a0oceanography class.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Paul White<\/strong>
\nCCRI Warwick campus<\/strong>
\nAssociate professor; oceanography, geology<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n

Duayne Rieger<\/strong>
\nCCRI Newport campus<\/strong>
\nAssistant professor; oceanography, geology, physics<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Hannah O\u2019Connor<\/strong>
\nCCRI Newport campus<\/strong>
\nOceanography honors project student<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

RI EPSCoR funds\u00a0help develop oceanography course at CCRI<\/h2>\n

Paul White teaches an introductory oceanography course and lab at Community College of Rhode Island<\/a>, the largest public, two-year, degree-granting college in New England.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Most of the students who arrive in White\u2019s class are enrolled in general studies and seeking to fulfill their science requirement, he says: \u201cThey all come in thinking they\u2019re going to learn about seals and whales. But, for the lecture part, we start off with physical oceanography \u2014 plate tectonics, the ocean floor, waves, water, and currents. At the end, we get into life in the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lab focuses on water quality in Narragansett Bay, collecting data and samples from Warwick\u2019s Conimicut Point and Goddard Park and investigating common Atlantic and invasive species. Out in the field, the students wear waders and use seine nets for collection; back in the lab, microscopes allow study of plankton samples.<\/p>\n

“The students get excited when learning about where we live. They\u2019re looking at their world in a way they\u2019ve never looked at it before.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

CCRI purchased this and other related equipment with Rhode Island EPSCoR funding, making the lab and learning possible. White collaborated with colleagues Duayne Rieger, CCRI Newport campus, and Emily Burns, Providence and Lincoln campuses, to create the curriculum.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe waders have really opened up how much sampling we can do,\u201d says White. \u201cThe students can go out in the water, seine, collect fish, do plankton hauls. Then, back in the lab, they can look at samples and assess the data. It really connects the fieldwork to the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience, grounded in an inquiry-based learning format, also sets the stage for discussion about ocean acidification and its\u00a0effects\u00a0on both the ecosystem and the Ocean State economy, White adds.<\/p>\n

Rieger says he notices the distinct impact on his Newport class of the hands-on, experiential lab work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students get excited when learning about where we live,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re looking at their world in a way they\u2019ve never looked at it before. They\u2019re paying attention to what\u2019s on the beach and what the water quality is. They are seeing the world that is familiar, but through a new perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

The course also provided the platform for one of Rieger\u2019s students\u2014 Hannah O\u2019Connor, 19, originally from North Dighton, Mass. \u2014 to pilot a semester-long experiment on the effects of ocean acidification on shellfish as an honors project. Through the honors program, students can carry out a project for half a credit, working under the guidance of a faculty member.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor says, \u201cAt most, I had hoped to have the opportunity to do some extra research on a topic and write an essay about it. However, Dr. Reiger told me about a project he was going to offer to his students that researched the effects of ocean acidification on shell species.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor jumped at the opportunity to take on the ocean acidification experiment. She says she always has liked science, and the Massachusetts Envirothon<\/a> workshop piqued her interest in environmental engineering during her high school years. The CCRI honors project gave her a substantive feel for conducting research and what she might expect from a career in the field.<\/p>\n

\"Hannah<\/a>
Hannah O’Connor piloted a CCRI ocean acidification experiment for her honors project.\u00a0 (Photo|Morgan O’Connor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDr. Rieger taught me how to use the lab equipment, but, more importantly, he guided me in writing my first college level scientific report,\u201d O\u2019Connor says. \u201cI was able to experience a hands-on example of what I was learning in class, which made the topic really come to life for me, and allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of the concepts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really gained a larger appreciation of ocean science and lab work, one that I feel has benefitted my education in an invaluable way.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor will graduate this spring from CCRI and plans to transfer to a four-year institution. She says she wants to pursue a double major in environmental engineering and music engineering technology. For the long term, she is eyeing a master\u2019s degree and, possibly, a Ph.D., and a research-related career.<\/p>\n

For O\u2019Connor and his other students, Rieger says the lab work allows them to actually perform science rather than learning solely from a textbook.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though the majority of students are taking the course as a requirement, this is an opportunity for them to explore,\u201d Rieger says. \u201cThis experiment on the effects of ocean acidification gets them investigating the world immediately around us and how our actions make an impact on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

White says exposing students to oceanography and related issues is critical. Some students tell him they don\u2019t like science, and he responds that they live on the planet and should know how it works.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students don\u2019t know if climate change is real,\u201d he says. \u201cOne thing we hope they come away with is a bit more awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story by Amy Dunkle | RI NSF EPSCoR<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paul White CCRI Warwick campus Associate professor; oceanography, geology Duayne Rieger CCRI Newport campus Assistant professor; oceanography, geology, physics Hannah O\u2019Connor CCRI Newport campus Oceanography honors project student RI EPSCoR funds\u00a0help develop oceanography course at CCRI Paul White teaches an introductory oceanography course and lab at Community College of Rhode Island, the largest public, two-year, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21,1,63],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized","category-we-are-ri-epscor"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10964\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/rinsfepscor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}