Conservation Data Science Project Team

The Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools, is dedicated to sparking ideas and skills in students across the school district. Within the Innovation Center, specific programs allow high school students to research, learn, and innovate while being mentored on a given subject.

These "Project Teams" range from robotics to aeronautics, giving students work-based experience in their field of interest. Each team's goal is different, but they all work toward building contacts, experience, and making money to pay for more research.

Axel Reitzig, the Executive Director of Innovation at St. Vrain Valley School District, said, "They (students) feel equal to us. It's not that weird hierarchy of teacher-student...they are colleagues..." Students can take the initiative and learn on their own while working and making money as a member of a team.

Conservation Data Science Team

One Project Team is the Conservation Data Science Team, a bioscience team that works to conserve species and environments. The team works with notable institutions such as Ocean First Institute, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Denver Zoo, The Watershed Center, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The team works to conserve and collect data on certain species. Team members go out in the field, including areas such as Hepp Pond, and collect data to take back to the lab and investigate. The species they currently are studying include the northern redbelly dace and the northern leopard frog.

The Northern Redbelly Dace Recovery Program, in collaboration with Ocean First Institute, Boulder County, Boulder County Parks and Open Space Foundation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Denver Zoo, aims to increase awareness and interest in the conservation of the northern redbelly dace, a freshwater minnow found in most of the northern United States and Canada.

This small fish, which ranges from 1 to 3 inches in length, reacts to changes in the environment such as water temperatures and predatory species. These factors, concurrent with recent human activity such as the construction of dams, have put the northern redbelly dace in the Colorado Parks and Wildlife's 2015 "Tier 1: Species of Greatest Conservation Need."

Anya Weider, a member of the Conservation Data Science Team, said, "The reason we care so much about [the northern redbelly dace] is they're an indicator species." This means that they show if there are any changes in an environment because they are so sensitive to sudden changes.

The Conservation Data Science Team also works in collaboration with Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Ocean First Institute, City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Denver Zoo to conserve the northern leopard frog. Working with these partners, the team raises tadpoles to be released in the wild as a step towards preserving the species.

Threats such as diseases, natural habitat loss, and predators put the northern leopard frog in a state of concern. The two fatal conditions of concern that affect the northern leopard frogs are Chytrid Fungus, a keratin-eating fungus that affects amphibians' breathing and water to electrolyte balance, and Ranavirus, a genus of virus that affects amphibians, reptiles, and fish by severe cellular and organ necrosis (the death of cells or tissue). The team works diligently to keep these two fatal conditions from occurring by taking cleaning and separation measures.

For more information about the Project Teams, the job fair at The Innovation Center on Oct. 1 will provide a booth for each team staffed with members who will share information with the public and prospective new members.

STEM Camp

The Innovation Center held its seventh annual STEM camp for approximately 109 middle and high school students the week of July 15-19. The STEM camp began in 2018 when Northrop Grumman reached out to support a cyber security camp at the Innovation Center, but has since expanded to other areas including artificial intelligence and career exploration (Career Quest).

The end goal of the camp is to prepare the students for an exhibition at the end of the week where the public and parents can attend and see the hard work everyone has put in. There are guest speakers who share expertise and volunteers from Northrop Grumman to help educate the students. They also took a field trip to CU Boulder to visit labs and learn about their opportunities at CU Boulder.

There are many other camps at the Innovation Center over the summer for grades K-12 which aim to teach all students about different areas, from airplane engineering to biosciences and robotics.

As Reitzig said, "The goal for me is connecting dots." He wants students to start by visiting The Innovation Center in elementary school and then take classes in high school, participate in summer camps, and join Project Teams. This is intended to help kids find a career path and reach their goals.