An Environmental Research Program for Undergraduates Margareta S q u i n and Sheny L. Volk Dominican College, San Rafael, CA 94901
Dominican Colleee is a four-vear liberal arts collew with an enrollment of approximatel; 800 students. As s G h i t is constantlv facine the challenee of attractine and retainine" students in its science department. In spite of limited means, an attractive programmust he created, with adequate equipment, to provide students with an exciting learning experience. To this end a program was developed in 1983 that would provide opportunities for undergraduates to participate in primary research. Earlier articles in THIS JOURNAL have described and recommended similar programs (1-4).In this paper we introduce our environmmtal underymduate research progmm "D.SEAP or "1)ominican Study of En\+ ronmental Adaptation of Marine Organisms" and report on our preliminary experiences.
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DescriBtlon of Researoh Program -
A grant to the College from the San Francisco Foundation provided the financial background to establish a research center on campus in January 1983. The program "D.SEA" has two principal aims. T h e first is a scientific study of the San ~ r a i c i s c knvironment o and the effect of sewage effluent on Bay waters. The second is the construction of a framework within which students can learn to work independently and develop familiarity with the scientific method, to think for themselves and act on their decisions. and to move toward more relativistic stages of deve~o~mknt. The program is interdisci~linarv. " . with facultv and students from the areas of chemistry, biology, and geology working on common prohlems. The scientific focus of "D.SEA" is the investigation of the adaptation of marine plants and animals to varying levels of sewage effluent in San Francisco Bay near the city of San Rafael. T o conduct this study water samples are collected on a monthly basis (biweekly during the summer) from selected sites recommended by the lahoratory of the Marine Central Sanitation District of San Rafael. Three samoline locations are situated near the established sewage outfa'll orthis Sanitation District soon to he discontinued in favor of a new, more efficient deep-water discharge site. Three more sampling sites are near the projected location of the future outfall. In the long run, the project will compare chemical, biological, and geological data collected before and after the termination of the old outfall and the concurrent initiation of the new sewage discharge. So far the following chemical paritmeters ha\,ebeen nnalytically determined, arcording to merhodr reammended by -Standard Methods" (5) and the ,.01,A Handbook'' 16):DH. alkalinitv. salinitv. susnended ., . ". solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, hiological oxygen demand. nitrate and o.h o s.~ h a t econtent. The bioloeical investigations include analysis of phytoplankton, zooplankton D ~.D and henthic ~onulationstructure and determination of . ulation dyn&&s relative to the chemical and physical parameters of the surrounding water. On a typical sampling day a crew of a t least one faculty member and several students sets out in a boat at high tide. Samples are collected a t six sampling sites. The water samples are brought to a special laboratory set up at Dominican Colleee. where a receivine crew of students and facultv carries out the chemical analyses. In many ways this day is the
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144
Journal of Chemlcal Education
most important part of the project. With everyone in the lab working on various chemical tests, generating data, trouhleshooting and discussing results, the excitement and earnestness of a research lab a t a larger institution is approximated and students feel the "thrill" of research. The hiological analysis is done during the following days. This involves making slides of phvto~lankton and zoo~lankton. - - . .kevine u out speciesand counting populations, screening, separating, and keying out henthic organisms, and attempting to integrate population changes with chemical and physical changes in the environment. All data collected are charted. Regular meetings of students and faculty involved are called to compare hiological and chemical data of each trip in itself, and of different sampling trips with each other. The interdisciplinary nature of the study is seen most vividly during these meetings as chemists and biologists learn to talk to one another and develop ways of interrelating information and analyzing data. The activity of a typical student in the research center would he t o attend ~ l a n n i n esessions. ~articinatein sampling trips, coordinate and hein eharge'df one chemical test, help in phytoplankton, zooplankton, andlor henthic organism taxonomy and population counts, attend research meetings after each trip, report on data collected, keep records of data and of procedures used. In addition each student selects a thesis topic (see Table 1)to work on inde~endentlv and then compl& aresearch paper and presents H seminar. Organlzatlon and Funding
The program is headed by afaculty research director, who coordinates the research work. Faculty members introduce students to specific methods and work with them as well as on their own projects. Students, especially a t the beginning
Table 1. Student Research Projects Under %SEA
Completed *' An analysis of chemical procedures wed to shldy environmental adaptations of marine organisms in San Francisco Bay. b Progress The eftenof sewage sffluemon copper concentration In San Francisco Bay. ' A COmpBTiJonofcopper concanbations in sharks InhabitingSan Francisco Bay and coanal waten. " A Comparison 01 capper concernration in mussels in San Francisco Bay and coastal waters. Taxonomic study of zooplanMon in areasd Sen Francisco Bay affectedby sewage. ' Zooplankton population sbucture and the physical and chemical param* ten affecting it. Planned Extensions The influenceof hydrocarbons on diatom Culiures in madel experiments. '* Determination of trace organics in water wmples. Microorganism studies in sediment samples. " A Z W u r vetiicei study o f phytoplankton dinribufi. '' Nutritional studies of ohwoolankton soecies in culture. . . . " Effeclof cnemlcals on the morpnology of dratam hustules. ' Stmy 01 the sed mentalion prof c dong a transsct on lne Bay.
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of summer, are introduced to each part of the project in turn and then concentrate on one set of chemical analyses. They are encouraged to work on both chemical and biological aspwts toenhance their understanding of the relationshipuf chttttistry and biulogy. Studrnts are orgnnized I)?. a studrnt director who coordinates their working time, the sampling trips, and collects and stores data. The selection of students for a particular segment of the project is based on the student's own interest. All students in the department are urged to become involved in some aspect of the study. We have incorporated several freshmen into the program this year with good results. Participation in research and generation of a senior thesis is a departmental requirement. The research program is funded by the San Francisco Foundation. Dominican College supports the endeavor by nrovidine a one-vear Research Seminar which aids students in experimental design and scientific writing and a special interest seminar on marine bioloev. Facultv members are committed to a specific number oiiours in addition to their teaching load. Students are either hired as work students or are working for credit on their bachelor thesis. For the maiors of facultv and students involved in "D.SEA"as well as 201 their typical workload see Tables 2 and 3.
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Table 2.
Majors of Faculty and Students Involved in "D.Sea"
Organic Chemistry Biochemistry Fhvcoloov . -. Invertebrate Zoology Marine Microbiology Paleontology Biolwv (4) Premed (8) General Students (2)
Students
Table 3.
Typlcal Workload of Faculty and Students In Hours per Week
Faculty Students
During Semester
Summer
6-8 3-8
10 - 20 20
When "DSEA" was established, it was our hope to attract and retain morestudents in science by presenting them with a "real life" research program and by teaching them how a research ~ . r o,i e c tis danned and carried throueh. I t was planned that every science student would have exposure to "D.SEA."'l'he urolect should ~ r u v i d et o v i ~ for s undereraduate theses, andgeneral learning stimulaiion for students and faculty was expected. "D.SEA" should also provide us with a framework for practical auplications of William Perrv's work on student intellectuai development (7). By providing research problems suited to each student's current developmental stage and by gradually demanding more independence and more self-reliant thought processes, we intended to facilitate their advancement through successive developmental stages.
Students from classes of "General Chemistry," "Analytical Chemistrv." Chemistrv for the Health Sciences." "Chemistry in-Your Life," " ~ a r i n eBiology," and " ~ a t u r a l Historv" were aiven a tour to our research lab and were showndides concerning the actual work on the Bay and in the lab. Some of these classes also collected Bay water and performed standard tests on it. They obviously appreciated the fact that their faculty is involved in applied research and that they could become involved in it themselves. For specific research projects carried out so far and for planned extensions see Table 1. In addition to providing a significant enrichment of our underaraduate curriculum. fundine for "D.SEA" has providedthe department with an instrumental update: several pH meters, a Beckman 2000 spectrophotometer, a (used) Perkin-Elmer Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and an Apple IIe computer could be acquired. Also, all faculty involved are experiencing most welcome stimulation and learning through this project.
Report on Our Preliminary Experiences
Students' Comments on "D.SEAW
The selection of the topic has proved to be very suitable for our purposes. Students are generally interested in environmental issues, yet tend to come with rather subjective views, not able yet to grasp the complexity of an environment affected by many users of very different interests. With "D.SEA"theyare becominginvolved in a truly applied field of science, an aspect that has been emphasized by frequent visits to local water district labs and treatment plants. Students, faculty, and professional staff of these places alike are enjoying the mutual contact and exchange of ideas and points of view. Students are being introduced to a research project with its plannine. hard work, frustrations. and successes. T o start out in the"program, -D.SEA~ involves plenty of routine work, with relatively clear-cut instructions. The beginning student faces enough of a challenge to translate these instructions into practical work. Yet, the ~roceduresare basic enough that second through fourth yea; students, with adequate analytical talent and careful introduction and supervision by faculty, have been ahle to produce good results. With increasing familiarity with the procedures, most students are ahle to improve and extend their part of the project on their own. We could observe how students who at first rigidly adhered to the eiven nrocedures later became succe&ful troubleshooters-and were ahle t o modify experiments thouahtfullv in order to achieve more reliable data. Most students moved from need for constant support to independence and the ability to teach other students.
So far, fourteen students have worked in "DSEA." An interview on their experiences brought forth the following comments: "It is great to see that what we have been learning in class is actually used in 'real' work." "In order to carry out research, lots of planning is required and lots and lots of patience." "It is ok to make errors sometimes. I t is great to have the time to correct them." "I have become much more critical toward scientific data I am reading. After all, these data and procedures are written hv scientists. and scientists are human heines " who make errors, too." "It is most enjoyable to meet other scientists outside the College. It is good practice to have to talk to them. I feel better prepared for interviews and for a job after college." "At first the independence in working and the responsibility for your data is rather scary, but with time it is really enjoyable and gives a feeling of accomplishment."
Purpose and Goals
Conclusion
As can be seen from out students' comments, "DSEA" has been a most ~ o s i t i v eexnerience so far. Whether the project will attract more students and whether continued financial support will be available will have to be seen. Constant critical evaluation of the topic itself and of its value to our students is required. But the research program has ohviVolume 63
Number 2
February 1986
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ously provided excitement, professional renewal, and a real spirit of team work to the science department of our College.
Acknowledgment
We wish to thank the San Francisco Foundation for its generous Qupport,which us to start the program' We also wish to thank the n u m e r ~ u sindividuals from local hoards and laboratories'who have given us help in our "DSEA" project.
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Journal of Chemical Education
Literature Cited (11 Pavers,J. w., BM, J. D. G. J. E ~ U C19w,s4, . sfis. (2) Sanmne.G. J Chem. Edue. 1977.M.566. (3) ~ ~ i i i J. ~ F., . ~o ~' L, ~ J~~~.G. , , P. J. cham. E ~ U C1981,60,670. . (4) Doyle. Michael P. J. Chem. Edue. 19e4,61,854. ( S APHA-AWWA-WPCF,"Standard Methods for the Eramination of water and Wastewater? 15th od., 1980. (8) U.S.EnvironmuntslProtactionhency."MetbodaforChemiealAoalyakofWaterand Waatca: Environmental ~ o n i t o r i n gand Support Laboratow. cineinnati, OH 45268.1983. (7, Perry, Wiliiam:~FormaofintelledualandEthiealDnreI~penti~th~C~li~~~Y~~~~;~ H O I ~~inehsrt, , and winston: N.W YWL, 1970.
