New York Harbor NSF STEM Project Design Week, Part 2

Dylan Taillie ·
7 July 2015
Science Communication | Learning Science | 

On Friday, June 19th, Judy O’Neil, Suzi Spitzer and I had our final exciting stop on a three-day trip to New York City that so far had been lively, productive, and engaging.  This was the day of the inaugural BOP STEM Symposium out at Governors Island, what was to be a massive gathering of middle and high school students, teachers, and partners on the STEM project. This event helped to finally put some faces (all smiles) to the work that we have been doing over the past few months.

We took the ferry over to Governors Island just past 9am in order to find the Admiral’s House where the symposium was to be held.

The view off the front of the ferry upon arriving at Governors Island on Friday Morning. Credit: Dylan Taillie
The view off the front of the ferry upon arriving at Governors Island on Friday morning. Credit: Dylan Taillie

Dylan and Suzi pose as Admirals sitting on their front porch just after setting up for the incoming students. Credit: Judy O’Neil
Dylan and Suzi pose as Admirals sitting on their front porch just after setting up for the incoming students. Credit: Judy O’Neil

We set up a conceptual diagram creation workshop with two computers allowing students to add symbols of NY-Harbor centric fauna, inputs, and human impacts to a NY Harbor background in order create an example of a healthy estuary vs. that of an unhealthy estuary.

Suzi and Dylan practice making diagrams at our station before students arrive. Credit: Judy O’Neil
Suzi and Dylan practice making diagrams at our station before students arrive. Credit: Judy O’Neil

Students and teachers alike were intrigued by the creation of conceptual diagrams and many students printed out the diagrams they made. Teachers were excited about the prospect of using our IAN online diagram creator in their lesson plans throughout the year and students suggested additional NYC symbols such as submarines, nuclear power plants, and cars.

Student-1
A student creates his very detailed diagram before printing it off to show his teacher and take home. Credit: Dylan Taillie

 

Students crowd around the computers to watch their classmates create diagrams and to offer suggestions on what symbols to use and where to put them. Credit: Dylan Taillie
Students crowd around the computers to watch their classmates create diagrams and to suggestions on what symbols to use and where to put them. Credit: Dylan Taillie

A few students from the Harbor School of Governors Island, a New York City public high school devoted to the study of marine studies, set up posters explaining various research projects based on STEM curriculum that they had done as part of their Marine Biology and Aquaculture classes. Andrew Summer, for example, did his final project on Invertebrate Growth on Porcelain Tiles, testing whether NYC’s 800,000 soon to be discarded toilets could possibly be a good hard substrate for oysters and other invertebrates to settle on.

Andrew Summer, pictured with his senior research project on invertebrate growth. Credit: Dylan Taillie
Andrew Summer, pictured with his senior research project on invertebrate growth. Credit: Dylan Taillie

Also set up at the symposium was a few of our friends from The River Project who had examples of the very oyster cages that will be used in the NSF STEM project’s restoration stations, that will involve both middle school students as well as Citizen Scientist groups. They also showed off some homemade microscopes that incorporated two pieces of glass, a cell phone camera, and some wood all put together to make viewing phytoplankton and small invertebrates much simpler and more affordable for students and teachers.

An example of the oyster cages that students will be using to keep their oysters and collect data from. Credit: Judy O’Neil
An example of the oyster cages that students will be using to keep their oysters and collect data from. Credit: Judy O’Neil

A picture captured of the screen of a cell phone that was displaying a miniscule organism for all to see. Credit: Judy O’Neil
A picture captured of the screen of a cell phone that was displaying a miniscule organism for all to see. Credit: Judy O’Neil

Throughout the whole day students were taken on tours showing the different stages of the lifecycle of the Billion Oyster Project. From the Hatchery (Stage 1) to Shell Recycling (2), to Remote Setting (3), to Growing Out (4), and finally to Reef Building (5), students trekked all around the island to see how the project works.

The Shell Recycling station. Credit: Dylan Taillie
The Shell Recycling station. Credit: Dylan Taillie

The Reef Building station. Credit: Dylan Taillie
The Reef Building station. Credit: Dylan Taillie

Students enjoyed a lunch on the water before getting pumped up for the event of the day: a performance of an original play, entitled ‘Salty Folk’ by the environmentally oriented musical group ‘Superhero Clubhouse’. This one act musical, with original songs and script incorporated accurate science, history, as well as Shakespeare. It appeared to be a hit for both the students and adults.

Students gather for burgers, hot dogs, and oysters in front of the East River just behind the Admiral’s house where the Symposium was held. Credit: Dylan Taillie
Students gather for burgers, hot dogs, and oysters in front of the East River just behind the Admiral’s house where the Symposium was held. Credit: Dylan Taillie

Sam Janis of the Billion Oyster Project, a PI on the NY STEM project, was organizing and entertaining throughout this successful event. Credit: Dylan Taillie
Sam Janis of the Billion Oyster Project, a PI on the NY STEM project, was organizing and entertaining throughout this successful event. Credit: Dylan Taillie

Superhero Clubhouse first took us on a detailed and fun voyage through time beginning with Henry Hudson sailing into the pristine NY Harbor in 1609 and culminating in the present day exploitation of oysters and poor state of the harbor. Next each member of the group became a personified oyster, one of whom was recently set down by an ecologist and had a dream of oysters like her becoming abundant yet again in the harbor. After much arguing and yet another trip through time, she convinced the older, more pessimistic oysters to help her clean the harbor and a trip to the future showed oyster reefs so abundant, real estate was hard to find. As one can imagine, this was a wonderful culmination of the NY BOP STEM symposium and truly a treat for us.

A view from our spot as Superhero Clubhouse performed ‘Salty Folk’. Credit: Suzi Spitzer
A view from our spot on the lawn as Superhero Clubhouse performed ‘Salty Folk’. Credit: Suzi Spitzer

We had a few spare hours to let traffic die down on Friday, so we saw a little more of the sights afterwards.

A view of Manhattans skyline as we ferried back across at the end of the symposium. Credit: Dylan Taillie
A view of Manhattans skyline as we ferried back across at the end of the symposium. Credit: Dylan Taillie

Dylan, Judy and Suzi pose for a picture on the Governors Island Ferry. Credit: Judy O’Neil
Dylan, Judy and Suzi on the Governors Island Ferry. Credit: Judy O’Neil

Suzi captured a reflection of the sunset before we began our drive back down to Maryland on Friday evening. Credit: Suzi Spitzer
Suzi captured a reflection of the sunset before we began our drive back down to Maryland on Friday evening. Credit: Suzi Spitzer

About the author

Dylan Taillie

Dylan is a Science Communicator with IAN. He has experience in various areas of visual information, science communication and technical analyses. Strengths in data management, environmental assessment and stakeholder engagement. He has worked with IAN in various positions since 2016 and enjoys fishing and hiking.