Submitted by Clover Park Technical College
Only so much can be learned inside the classroom.
Seventh grade science students studying ecology at Woodbrook Middle School in Lakewood have the chance to learn outdoors from Environmental Sciences and Technology students at Clover Park Technical College.
The first wave of 50 students visited the College’s Lakewood campus May 22 to learn about seven different water quality tests CPTC students are trained in. CPTC will host two other groups of middle school students June 4 and June 6 from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
“We want to teach them science, but we also want to get them on campus and get them thinking about the College,” said Andy Fritz, CPTC Environmental Sciences and Technology instructor.
The seventh graders spent part of the morning trekking through wetlands in the 110-acre Flett Creek Laboratory across the street from the College’s Lakewood campus. The students learned how to measure such things as electrolytes and dissolved oxygen levels in the water.
The students of April Barreca’s science class also had the chance to measure the water’s pH levels themselves.
“It’s great when kids see college students who have similar backgrounds and get to do science outside,” Barreca said. “This is something that is educational where they also get to be hands on.”
In the Flett Creek Laboratory students also learned about the different bird, fish and insect species that live in the habitat. The science field trip also included demonstrations of measuring water temperatures inside the college lab.
The CPTC Environmental Sciences and Technology program prepares students for a wide-range of positions in the environmental science field and offers two degree options: Associate of Applied Technology and Associate in Applied Science-Transfer.
For more information, contact Somer Hanson via email at somer.hanson@cptc.edu or calling (253) 589-8747.
