Norwalk Students to Engage in Aquarium Research
WASHINGTON – Fifth-grade students from some Norwalk public schools have a new reason to look forward to science class.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has granted the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium $17,765 to help 75 students get real-life experience along with their science lessons, Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) announced Wednesday.
The grant, for the Norwalk Harbor Biodiversity Study, will allow students from five fifth-grade classes to spend a school year conducting field studies on Long Island Sound, going on boat excursions and participating in video labs and Internet research projects concerning the sound.
“I’m pleased the Maritime Aquarium will be able to offer this unique opportunity for science education to Norwalk students,” Shays said in a statement. “This study provides local students with a hands-on experience that I hope will foster further excitement about science, as well as preservation of the precious resource of the Long Island Sound.”
The students will take field trips to the sound and travel aboard the aquarium’s research boat to explore what happens in the water.
The program will provide students with a special Internet site that will allow them to view what’s going on in the sound from their classrooms. They then will be able to ask aquarium researchers questions through their computers.
“Live [on-line] chats will be scheduled at the teacher’s convenience,” said aquarium spokesman Tim Gagne. “One class can go on the cruise, while another watches on-line and can ask direct questions at the time.”
The students will be able to observe harbor seals that come up on the rocks and to track weather data, Gagne said. “They can research how weather affects the seals’ behavior, and then go out on the research vessel to see it live,” he explained.
Aquarium researchers also will go to the students’ classrooms to lead discussions and oversee experiments.
The Internet part of the program is expected to be up and running within the next few weeks; the cruises will begin in late November or early December.
“We expect the program to promote genuine enthusiasm about marine science, motivate students to do well in school and provide assistance to teachers seeking to improve their science teaching skills,” the aquarium’s education director, Jack Schneider, said in a statement.
An existing program allows bedridden children at Westchester Children’s Hospital Center to tap into the aquarium through the Internet.
