River Ecology and Citizen Science

​​Rivers provide a model system from which to study ecological concepts.  They also have the added benefits of both providing students an opportunity to learn science in an outdoor setting and an understanding of an important resource that is used by humans for clean water and recreation.  In this module, students will be provided a system in which concepts like the cycling of matter and the flow of energy can be applied locally.  At the same time, data gathered by students can be made available to local resource managers (non-profits, government agencies, etc.) and therefore provide them an added incentive of knowing their work matters in a real world context.

​​Amy Trauth-Nare

Senior Associate Director

UD Professional Development Center for Educators

Amy Trauth-Nare is a former middle and high school science teacher who has worked with K-16 pre-service and in-service teachers to improve science instruction and assessment. Among her most recent projects, Amy has co-authored curriculum an integrated STEM called Orthopaedics in Action with Dr. Jenni​ Buckley for middle and high school students. Her research focuses on environmental and engineering education, science teacher education, and classroom assessment. Amy’s recent research has focused on the study of effective methods for preparing teachers for environmental education and the correlation between student achievement and Green Schools initiatives. Her research on classroom assessment focuses on formative assessment and classroom discourse, especially as it relates to the ways in which teachers and students position themselves in science learning. She has also conducted numerous program evaluations and research studies on educational innovation in K-16 education, including studies of student outcomes in project-based undergraduate biology courses and the STEM education and career trajectories of girls’ who have participated in an informal biomedical engineering curriculum. Amy’s work in science education is undergirded by issues of equity, access, and opportunities for meaningful participation in science by an increasingly diverse K-12 student population in public schools.​​

​​Seth Hunt​

Preceptor

Interdisciplinary Science Learning Laboratories​

As a grad student whose disciplinary research was in river ecology, I’ve worked to provide real world educational context of ecological principles for both biology majors and non-majors alike.  Now, as a preceptor with ISLL at the University of Delaware, I help teach and design the curriculum of labs and studios taken by biology majors whose goal is to help integrate chemistry and biology. I’ve also worked with the Delaware Nature Society to help provide educational resources for using data collected from their Stream Watch program.​