Bringing Science Professionals into the classroom

It’s a constant struggle.  Teachers say that students need to know certain things in order to be effective in a given workplace.  Take for example careers in science.  It’s one thing for a teacher to say that you might have to know the names and general properties of each group of elements in chemistry in order to be a chemical engineer, but those words might not come with as much credibility, as they might if they came from the mouth of, let’s say an industrial chemist.  So I really think there is a valuable role for outside professionals to play in the classroom.  

After last year’s internship, I grew interested in inviting professionals and/or academics into my classroom to share their experiences in the science career field, and answer any questions that students might have about careers in science.  I had a friend who I went to school with who was working on his Master’s thesis in limnology at Oklahoma State, and as much as I would have liked to bring him in, the distances made it impossible.  However, I was able to hook up my iPad to the smartboard and set up a video conference call of sorts between the class and my out-of-state colleague. 

There was a certain novelty to the experience that the students seemed to appreciate.  That was the first thing that I noticed.  Everyone paid excellent attention to the things my friend, Mr. Nikolai, had to say.  He gave a short presentation on the work that he does in limnology, using both biological and chemical factors to diagnose the health of reservoirs.  

Mr. Nikolai, on Grand Lake in Oklahoma, collecting sediment cores for analysis.  Not exactly stuffy lab work, is it?

After he had completed this part of his presentation, I allowed students to pose the questions that they had prepared ahead of time.  Many of the questions were insightful, and a surprising number of the questions dealt directly with what it’s like to be a graduate student, and what it might be like to have a career in the DNR, or with other agencies or private firms that may hire limnologists.  Students were especially interested about cultural eutrophication, the degradation of water bodies due to anthropogenic sources of nutrients.  Mr. Nikolai referenced several instances of algae blooms on Grand Lake, a massive reservoir in eastern Oklahoma.  In preparation for the video-chat meeting, we had watched several news report videos from You Tube that described the impact of the algae bloom on recreation.

Water samples from Grand Lake

Students were amazed to find out that some algae species (cyanobacteria in fresh water) can produce neurotoxins which can cause significant health problems in otherwise healthy people.  The line of questioning stayed with these neurotoxins for most of the time we had to talk to my friend, with one exception.

Politics and science intersected during an algal bloom on Grand Lake in Oklahoma, as a congressman took the unusual step of disagreeing with state DNR and health officials, ignoring warnings to stay off the lake.  He later recanted, but the state agencies were infuriated at the mixed messages that could compromise lake visitor safety.

To summarize, almost all the students enjoyed the teleconference are were eager to hear more about the water and nutrient cycles, due I imagine in no small part to Mr. Nikolai’s presentation and discussion on limnology.

I will definitely try to continue these types of interactions between students and professionals in science, in the future.