What did you do this summer? It's a question many professors and teachers inquire to their students at the start of the school year.
But if some students at
Lake Superior State University and
Sault Area High School asked that of their educators this year, they may have been surprised at the answer. LSSU professor Ashley Moerke and Sault teacher Paul Pioszak spent much of their summer on a 180-foot research vessel on Lake Superior with fellow teachers and scientists.
Pioszak, a Sault High English and government teacher, and Moerke, who is co-director of the LSSU Aquatic Research Laboratory as well as a biology professor, were participating in a workshop that had them monitoring and conducting research on the lake's near-shore areas in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lake Guardian. Pioszak was one of 15 educators chosen from more than 50 applicants to collect data alongside EPA and university scientists. Moerke was one of several scientists on board. The unique opportunity to combine educators with scientists was provided through the Shipboard and Shoreline Science Workshop sponsored jointly by the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Great Lakes and the U.S. EPA.
"The COSEE excursion exposed the teachers first-hand to the rigors and excitement of science," says Moerke. "It also gave them a unique opportunity to discuss current issues facing the Great Lakes, all while in the middle of Lake Superior."
Pioszak and Moerke also coach Sault High's National Ocean Sciences Bowl team and are incorporating their experiences aboard the Lake Guardian into their lessons and discussions with their team.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Ashley Moerke, LSSU
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