Dawson students contribute to global research

Dawson middle school science teacher Bill Meyers has brought together students and scientific organizations such as NASA for many years. One such partnership is with GLOBE - Global Learning and Observation to Better the Environment (globe.gov) - a worldwide science and education program aimed at getting primary and secondary students involved in hands-on research that materially contributes to the understanding of researchers around the globe.

Last September, eighth grade students Lindsey Bartoletta and Breck Dunbar learned how to collect and analyze water samples for the Colorado River Watch Program. In October, they sampled macroinvertebrates and decided that they would like to do a project to see if the species changed as the water chemistry changed during the winter. They spent one day a week collecting samples at Boulder Creek and analyzing their data. In March, they wrote a report and submitted it to the GLOBE Program’s Virtual Science Symposium. In May, they will get a chance to present their work at GLOBE’s Southwest Region Science Research Symposium in Denver.