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Science on Seneca

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) students at West High School participated in a Science on Seneca field trip on the William Scandling Research Vessel sponsored by The Finger Lakes Institute. IB Chemistry and Biology students made the trip on Oct. 23, 25 and 26, 2007, as part of the Group 4 Project Field Trip that is a requirement for completion of the DP Science courses.

According to West High Biology teacher Andrea Bocko, the field study was made possible through an outreach program at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Science on Seneca is a research vessel-based program than offers regional high school teachers the opportunity to use Seneca Lake as an outdoor classroom. To participate, Science teachers undergo a free training session in which they experience the full range of scientific tests and equipment available to them aboard, including plankton tow, sediment samples and water chemistry.

Diploma Program students enrolled in Chemistry and Biology courses are expected to complete a collaborative, interdisciplinary experience that reinforces concepts and perceptions across the Group 4 disciplines of Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Environmental Systems. The students spend between 10 and 15 hours engaged in planning, action, evaluation and presentation as requirements of the internal assessment for each DP Science course.

During the field trip, Biology and Chemistry students investigated more than one Science area:

• Physics (Water color & Transmission of Light through water)
• Chemistry (Chemical tests of Chloride Ion, Dissolved Oxygen, Hardness)
• Biology (Plankton Tow and Observing Biological Diversity of Seneca Lake via Microscope)
• Geology (Sediment Samples)

The students chose partners from a different discipline, and worked together to collect data on the boat, research background material and collaborate on their final presentation of findings.

As my students work on their final presentations, I find myself impressed with how well they work together and how much time they have spent outside the classroom, says Chemistry teacher Mrs.Seip. The Seneca Lake trip was rewarding to the students and it was a good learning experience for me as well.