Lisa Son pumps water on the Hudson River to collect plankton samples for finding zebra mussel veligers. Photo by Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer hosted a group of interdisciplinary professors and researchers involved in the development of an undergraduate summer field course July 29-30 at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute on Lake George. The course, called "River Summer," is being developed by the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities (ECHVCU), of which Rensselaer is a member.

ECHVCU comprises 36 academic institutions in New York state that have come together to work on projects that address the future of the regional and global environment through education and research.

"River Summer will offer students studying a range of disciplines at universities across the state the opportunity to explore and discover the Hudson River," said Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer, professor of biology and director of Darrin Fresh Water Institute and faculty participant. "Students will experience the Hudson's natural resources through scientific, cultural, and historical contexts, offering an interdisciplinary insight into issues such as waterfront development and pollutant remediation."

The course curriculum focuses on an integrated, interdisciplinary analysis of the Hudson River and its watershed through diverse sessions in science, history, and culture while touring five regions along the Hudson. Most of the trip is made in a research vessel, except for the Adirondack Mountain region where participants camp or stay in field station facilities.

River Summer was piloted July 5-30 during a run-through by approximately 30 professors and researchers participating in the program. Each week, they traveled to a different region of the Hudson River to focus on different aspects of the Hudson watershed.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Son, Barnard College

During the learning module for the Adirondack Mountains region, the group visited the Darrin Fresh Water Institute for two days of interactive sessions on water sampling, analysis of water chemistry and biota, and data analysis and comparison.

In addition to Nierzwicki-Bauer, participants from Rensselaer's Darrin Fresh Water Institute included: Chuck Boylen, professor of biology; Larry Eichler, research scientist; Jim Harrison, post-doctoral research associate; and Jeremy Farrell, research assistant.

The River Summer project is supported by the Teagle Foundation and the Rivers and Estuaries Center.

In 2006, River Summer will be offered to undergraduate students from ECHVCU's member institutions. For more information about the project, go to http://www.environmentalconsortium.org.

Published August 8, 2005