Our Research Programs In Action
Students build confidence through question asking and conducting original research projects. We aim to help foster this confidence by allowing students the opportunity to present their research, receive feedback, and share their projects with the public. The following are examples of the research projects we’ve led with various classes.
We also create a Student Research Journal from the projects created by high school students in our Digital Research Program. Access the journal page here.
Past Student Research
High School Student Research
Our High School programs meet NGSS standards while challenging students in a vareity of subject areas to explore high-level concepts in the natural world. Students create innovative projects that are aimed at looking critically at scientific concepts using both the traditional scientific method and advanced computational analysis. Click through the tabs at the left to view examples of past student research.
High School Student Research
Students in our online research program design their own projects, work with a professional scientist mentor to see the project through, create a presentation, and author a research paper.
Headwaters Student Research Journal:
Student research papers are submitted for publication to an outside journal and published in the Headwaters journal. Access the Headwaters student journal here.
Student presentations:
Urban School
This ecology course took day trips to the Marin Headlands National Park to study riparian habitat in the Gerbode Valley.
How does salinity of a stream affect biodiversity of adjacent vegetation?
The effect of channel incision on vegetation composition of the riparian corridor
Macro-invertebrate biodiversity and abundance in Rodeo Lagoon
The effect of soil type on plant diversity in riparian zones
Rodeo Lagoon Day Trip:
How does distance from both waterways and trails affect soil nutrients?
Biodiversity near waterways in Gerbode Valley
College Prep School A.P.E.S.
These juniors and senior spent 2 days at the Clair Tappaan Lodge on Donner Summit studying factors that affect biodiversity in wetlands and forested areas.
The effect of TDS on Biodiversity
How does forest composition change between different habitats
Water quality in relation to a removed dam
The distribution of parasitism in subalpine forests
San Francisco University High School
This AP Environmental Science Class visited Donner summit to conduct experiments on biodiversity in Van Norden Meadow.
Woodside Priory Service Week Trips
A group of Priory seniors traveled to Donner Summit to study the Sierra Nevada snowpack. Groups of students created projects around factors that affect avalanches and snow melt water quality.
Impacts of Pine Trees on Snow pH
Tracking Total Dissolved Solids in Snow
Woodside Priory Senior Snow Trip
Middle School Student Research
Our Middle School Programs meet NGSS standards while challenging students in a vareity of subject areas to create their own research projects. Click through the tabs at the left to view examples of past student research.
North Lake Tahoe Middle School
The NTMS 7th grade investigated populations and resources by looking at what factors affect sugar pine populations around their school.
Forest density of different trees around their campus
What other plants live in close proximity to sugar pines?
Which types of trees around their school do bark beetles infest the most?
Quarry Lane
Middle school students from the Quarry Lane School did a 5 day program that allowed the students to work hard and produce great results. The students had a wide array of topics and all were able to learn some new statistics while they were analyzing their data.
SWOPE Middle School 7th Grade
These students studied a variety of topics, from water to erosion, and produced intriguing research findings.
The affect of distance from water on soil type
