Students in Calvin College's TRIAGE program are in the middle of an in-depth study of environmental issues, including water quality, and will present their results at an on-campus event on Friday, June 27 at the Prince Conference Center.
TRIAGE stands for Team Researchers in a GLOBE-al Environment and is a National Science Foundation-funded effort which helps local middle school students develop authentic scientific research skills and thinking as part of a comprehensive focus on environmental sustainability.
There are about 40 students involved in the current session, representing a variety of area public and private schools.
Next week TRIAGE students will head to a couple of watery settings leading up to their June 27 presentations, including a field trip on June 23 to Hoffmaster State Park and a stream assessment on June 25 at Bear Creek in Townsend Park.
Then on June 27 the students will host what TRIAGE director Rachel Reed called a professional-style research colloquium.
"The TRIAGE students will be presenting their research through posters," she said, "and just like at a professional science conference, attendees will be invited to peruse the work of all the students as they walk around the room and talk with the student teams about their research at each poster."
The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Great Hall at Calvin's Prince Conference Center.
That morning the students will put the finishing touches on their posters. Beginning at noon, students will move their posters to the Prince Conference Center for setup.
"This is an exciting day celebrating a big accomplishment," said Reed. "Families will be there but we also have invited professional scientists, community partners and science educators to this event."