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Inspiring Women Mentor Headwaters Students

Inspiring Women Mentor Headwaters Students

Mar 8, 2023 | Home Page Featured, Uncategorized

Headwaters Science Institute is proud to connect our students with science mentors in many of our programs. And on International Women’s Day, introducing some of the incredible women who are passionate about inspiring the next generation of scientists. These women are all dedicated and accomplished researchers who are advancing science in their fields, and taking the time to share their experiences with Headwaters students!

Some of the incredible women who are making a difference with Headwaters Science Institute’s programs are Gabriela Rios-Sotelo, Kerri Spuller, Ashley Pierce, Anna Holmquist, Aviva Fiske, and Hanna Kahl. We are always grateful when they are able to allocate some of their time to help us reinforce our mission of “fostering curiosity through science.”

Gabriela Rios-Sotelo‘s research on White nose syndrome in bats is crucial for understanding and combating this deadly fungal disease. In addition, her work as a science educator has brought natural history and science lessons to people of all ages.

Kerri Spuller‘s research on landscape change and climate change in drylands has important implications for understanding how our planet is changing. Her work as an environmental scientist also helps ensure that our water and soil are safe and healthy.

Ashley Pierce‘s work in atmospheric pollutants is essential for understanding and addressing some of the most pressing environmental problems we face today. As an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow placed at the National Science Foundation, she works on programs that are cross-disciplinary with a focus on sustainability.

Anna Holmquist‘s research on spider biodiversity and the urban heat island effect is fascinating and important for understanding how our cities impact the natural world. Her passion for science education and making science accessible to all is also inspiring.

Aviva Fiske‘s research on sturgeon genetics is crucial for understanding and conserving these endangered fish populations. Her work with the GOALS program also helps ensure that more girls have the opportunity to experience the wonders of science and the outdoors.

Hanna Kahl‘s research on citrus pest management is essential for ensuring that farmers can produce healthy and sustainable food. Her work as a middle school teacher and in Women in Data also highlights her dedication to science education and empowering women in STEM.

Mentors play a critical role in inspiring young students to pursue science. They act as a guiding light by providing advice, answering tough questions, and empowering students to navigate the complexities of science with confidence. With a mentor’s support, students can feel inspired and equipped to take on the challenges of science, and pursue their dreams with passion and purpose. This is why we pair the best mentors with our Headwaters programs! The students see what is possible when they see themselves in and connect with these amazing women scientists.

The Importance of Practical Application and Hands-On Research

The Importance of Practical Application and Hands-On Research

Dec 6, 2022 | Research Experience, Home Page Featured, Uncategorized

Hands-on research and the practical application of scientific concepts is critical for students as they learn and grow throughout their education. Allowing students to see the real world relevance of the subject matter they are learning goes a long way towards engaging students in the material. Students who can see how the material can be applied to their daily lives are more likely to find it compelling and be interested in asking questions and exploring.

Additionally, hands-on research and practical application of concepts can help students develop important skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. These are skills that transcend fields, and they are essential for navigating higher education and the workforce. Opportunities to develop these skills in a secondary education setting can set students on a road to success. 

The Headwaters Research Experience provides students with a robust experience to discover and nurture these vital skills. Students are able to take their science education to a new level while being mentored by a professional scientist in designing and conducting an original research project. Students see through the project from conception to publication by conducting field research (or compiling pre-existing available datasets) and learning how to analyze their findings. 

Our Fall Research Experience participants just presented their research last week:

The Headwaters Research Experience encourages hands-on research and practical application of concepts while students are still in the secondary education phase of their lives. Students exposed to this type of education emerge from the program with a completely different outlook with regards to science and they see opportunities to pursue science open in front of them. This isn’t an experience that all students are able to have through their traditional school programs, which is why Headwaters offers this program – we believe in expanding access to hands-on science and guiding students as they explore new skills.

Sign Up for Our Spring Research Experience

Sign-ups are live for our Spring Research Experience and we are offering four additional mentor hours to students who sign up through December 31st! Mentoring is a key complement to the practical skills side of science education at Headwaters!

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Headwaters Research Experience Students Investigate the Importance of Biodiversity

Headwaters Research Experience Students Investigate the Importance of Biodiversity

Oct 12, 2022 | Home Page Featured, Research Experience

One of the most important tasks biologists face today is understanding the factors influencing biodiversity loss. While we have an understanding of the primary drivers that lead to species’ population declines like habitat degradation, invasive species, overexploitation, pollution, and climate change, we still need to understand the magnitude of these influences on ecological interactions. Human population growth, increased consumption, and resource inefficiency are pushing species to the brink of extinction, and the extinction of species stresses interconnectedness of ecosystems. Emphasis on the number of species and their population sizes is primarily of focus but species and healthy systems also provide ecosystem services, which benefit our water, food, air, and more. In the U.S., more than one-third of all crop production relies on insect pollination and many pollinator conservation efforts focus on the decline of native bee populations, highlighting the importance of biodiversity to our agriculture system.

Western snowy plover, a small shorebird blending into the rocks on a beach

In the Headwaters Research Experience, we help students understand the importance of biodiversity and the ecological interactions between plants and animals. Throughout the sessions, we typically have around 20% of students conduct a project related to investigating how pollution, climate change, and human activity influence biodiversity. What’s unique is that these students choose locations close to home! When students do this, it builds a stronger connection between them and their local environment. We encourage students to dive deep into the species they can potentially find within their local area. 

A small toad in grass

Are there threatened or endangered species close to home? What are their roles? Are there invasive species in the area, and are they benefiting or harming the native species? We encourage students to think about these questions to help understand on a deeper level the importance of the current situation. The research undertaken in our program connects students to the environment. Students who go into the biological sciences build on this strong foundation. Not to mention these biodiversity-focused studies get students out into the natural world and showcase a small sample of what field work entails. Whether students are studying microplastics, agricultural run-off, human activity, differences between urban and rural regions, or water quality, there is a project to fit everyone’s interest as they explore the topic of biodiversity.

California condor, a large black bird with bald head, flies over arid landscape.

This week for Headwaters’ Back to School Fundraiser, we’re highlighting endangered species! Donating to Headwaters helps us plan and run the Research Experience and students pursue projects that spark their curiosity and contribute to science. Your support also helps us provide Lunch with a Scientist talks to students around the country. Thank you!

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Headwaters Research Experience Students Explore Climate Change

Headwaters Research Experience Students Explore Climate Change

Oct 3, 2022 | Home Page Featured, Research Experience, Uncategorized

Climate change is an extraordinarily important topic as it impacts all life on the planet in various ways. Weather patterns and regional climates changing over time isn’t a new phenomenon, but the rapid pace of change caused by human activity since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the severity of the consequences is what alarms scientists.

There are a few unknowns, namely how severe consequences will end up being. We could see ecosystem collapses due to biodiversity loss because of a failure of organisms to adapt to the new bioclimatic conditions they face. We are already seeing higher frequency and more severity from extreme weather events and also every day sea level rise, both threatening Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and areas around the world.

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina

There is no doubt that our world today has been shaped by our past and that this is a very complex issue, with controversy surrounding the topic from every angle. Many Headwaters Research Experience students are passionate about climate change and choose to explore it and its impacts for their projects. Charlie and Kian participated in our Spring Research Experience and had different approaches to studying climate change.

Charlie was primarily interested in how land temperatures are related to the incidence and strength of hurricanes. Charlie aggregated temperature and hurricane data over the past 20 years, and he found a significant relationship between temperature and hurricane frequency, but not between temperature and hurricane strength. This finding went against his initial hypothesis, and he concluded that while the increase in temperature has caused a higher incidence of hurricanes, it has not necessarily influenced the strength. It was an eye opening experience for Charlie and like many times in scientific research, he ended with more questions than he started with!

Kian wanted to approach the impacts of climate change in a different way. He did this by investigating how the predicted ecological niches of spider monkey species change through 2070. He used the Community Climate System Model, which uses previous climate data to simulate climate conditions in the future and Ecological Niche Models to predict species’ ranges. Given current climate projections into 2070, Kian found all spider monkey species within his study will experience a reduction in size of their suitable bioclimatic niche but to varying degrees. While all species are impacted by climate change, variability exists and some benefit while some could face tough futures.

We have many students considering the damage humans are doing to Earth’s climate and they’ve looked at climate change from many different angles! We always encourage students’ curiosity about these, and all, topics and hope that their research increases their understanding of the nuances of the issues. 

This week for Headwaters’ Back to School Fundraiser, we’re highlighting climate change science! Donating to Headwaters helps us plan and run the Research Experience and students like Charlie and Kian pursue projects that spark their curiosity and contribute to science. Your support also helps us provide Lunch with a Scientist talks to students around the country. Thank you!

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Students Explore the Importance of Water

Students Explore the Importance of Water

Sep 27, 2022 | School Programs, Home Page Featured, Uncategorized

The importance of water should never be understated! It is a vital component of all life-sustaining processes and integral to chemical reactions. The human body is made of up nearly 60-70% water by body weight, with a decrease of 4% causing dehydration and losses of 15% becoming life-threatening or fatal. Drilling down further, water is considered a universal solvent, it plays an important structural role in our cells as it regulates their shape based on water concentration in various environments and facilitates biochemical reactions by being directly involved in dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions. And this is only at the cellular level. As water crises and droughts highlight the lack of consistent water access around the globe, we know that water is essential for life.  

Our Headwaters Research Experience students recognize the importance of water quality to aquatic systems, and we help students create projects centered around the analysis of water quality in their neighborhoods and watersheds. These types of water quality studies are simple to conduct, but can yield impactful results  and raise awareness among local community members. 

Ethan Liu was curious about water in NYC and focused on comparing water quality between the neighborhoods of Chinatown and Bayside, which have a sizable difference in average household income. Ultimately, Ethan found that there was no significant difference in pH or total dissolved solids (TDS, like inorganic salts and some organic matter) for water sampled from restaurants in these regions. Ethan, and the community members who allowed him to sample their water, were reassured by his findings.

Ethan’s presentation is the first of our student presentations featured here if you’d like to learn more:

Katie Chen wanted to research the effects of fertilizer on the water quality of Saratoga Creek. Many land managers use fertilizers to increase crop yields, but nitrogen runoff can cause significant damage to the watershed and harm water quality in the area. Through her experimental research design, Katie found that the fertilizer significantly reduced the pH and increased the TDS of Saratoga Creek water. Katie did a great job designing, conducting, and analyzing her research and the Journal of Emerging Investigators accepted her write up for publication!

Read Katie’s paper here!

This week for Headwaters’ Back to School Fundraiser, we’re highlighting water! Donating to Headwaters helps us plan and run the Research Experience and students like Ethan and Katie pursue projects that impact their communities and contribute to science. Your support also helps us provide Lunch with a Scientist talks, like Dr. Tonya Shearer’s on coral reef health, to students around the country. Thank you!

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