For Atwater High School students, the assignment, "What I did over my summer vacation" has a whole new meaning. Rather than having fun in the sun, these students spent their summer in school, which for them meant backpacking in Yosemite National Park. This was no typical outdoor adventure, though; nor was it a typical summer school curriculum. These students were participants in the Environmental Science Academy, a unique program in conjunction with the University of California Merced, the National Park Service, and the Merced Union High School District.
The objective of the Academy, explains Program Director Maynard Medefind, is "to inspire kids and get them interested in science." The other goal is for graduates to attend a University of California (UC) school. This is significant, since one criteria for acceptance into the Academy is to be the first in your family to attend college. What is also significant is that if students complete the program, a commitment of three summers, they are automatically admitted into a California university.
"We wanted to identify students who had talent but who were not living up to their potential," says Sylvia Smith, assistant superintendent for the district, of which Atwater is a part. Other criteria are for students to maintain a 3.2 GPA and to be part of an economically disadvantaged family.
Students study the principles of biology, chemistry, and physics as applied in an environmental setting, adds Smith. This allows them to see real world applications of science. "They become practicing scientists on a daily basis. They make hypotheses, perform tests, and draw conclusions alongside professional scientists."
Hitting the Trails to Conduct Trials
Along with a toothbrush and change of clothes, tucked away in the backpacks of Academy students, known as University of California Scholars, are handheld computers. Through a Palm grant, students received handhelds to use in all facets of their daily work, which, for first-year students includes surveying water, air, soil, and ground cover. With this technology, "Students test mountain environments and do trials on water quality and irrigation on the Merced River," says Medefind, a biology and chemistry teacher for 30 years. They also measure oxygen levels with probes that plug right into the handheld. The data are then automatically stored in the Palm.
"Technology just really simplifies things," explains Medefind. "We can do the same things a lot easier. Without technology we would use handheld meters, which are larger and more cumbersome. A lot of equipment is replaced by the handheld. The fact that students are able to do so much with this little tiny tool is great. They can compress a lot of information."
Smith agrees, adding there is no longer a need to carry along beakers and test tubes. "In the wilderness, technology enhances the ability to do science experiments without carrying around jars and bottles. It's a much more friendly way of gathering data." The other benefit, Smith adds, is that it keeps students connected to the wilderness when they're back home via a variety of environmentally friendly websites that "help them recall and reflect upon what they've learned."
Handhelds also make scientists more efficient. "We generate such wonderful work without wasting time, doing it by hand," explains Medefind. "We have a better product without spending time on trivial details that aren't science. We're able to focus on the important aspects of science."
What's also important, says Smith, is that "to use technology, students have to master abstract concepts, and when you master abstract concepts you get something real—you see the results of critical thinking. Technology is a great blend of art and science."
Junior Scientists Meet Their Mentors
Medefind describes a two-week, 50-mile trek he took with his student scholars at Yosemite National Park, where he was also a Park Ranger. "We did a series of investigations up and down the Merced River. We started in Atwater and went up to Lake McClure. We set up study stations everyday and did a battery of tests, entering data into the Palm." Using Global Positioning System units, students were able to navigate and mark exact positions of various research stations in the wilderness. Through an articulation agreement with San Jose State University, students had the opportunity to meet with faculty who also were conducting water quality testing. "We sat around the campfire and compared data," says Medefind. "They were impressed since the accuracy of our data was comparable to theirs."
Following these excursions, students return to class and interface with their computers by printing out their data and constructing computer-generated graphs. They also work with Park Service staff and UC representatives and visit campuses and the scientists that work there. "Students have access to the labs and other scientists," Medefind says. "They get to see the kind of work they're doing." At the end of the school year, students as young as 14 years old prepare a PowerPoint presentation of their findings to an audience of approximately 125 people, including parents, faculty, administrators, school board members, and UC representatives.
For Medefind, the Academy is about exposing his students to science in a nontraditional way. "I just know how much I've been motivated by the outdoors," he says. "I told the school board, I could really stimulate kids into being interested in science and motivate kids into science careers just by taking them outdoors. And when you combine the outdoors with science and technology, you have a combination that is really inspiring."
For more information about the Environmental Science Academy, contact Smith at 209.385.6572.
