Harrison High School students recently caught a glimpse of what happens beyond the glass at the Georgia Aquarium. The Cobb Schools Science and STEM and Innovation departments partnered with the Georgia Aquarium to allow the Cobb students to learn about the animals the aquarium staff work with and the unique challenges the staff face.
Every year, Dr. Scott Schomer takes students in his Oceanography class to visit the Georgia Aquarium. Due to COVID-19, students were not able to take the annual field trips. If Dr. Schomer couldn’t take his students to the aquarium, he wanted to bring the aquarium to his students.
So, he jumped at the District-sponsored contest that allowed his students to talk to an expert in the field they were learning about in class.
On Georgia STEM Day, Dr. Schomer’s Oceanography class connected on Zoom with Susan Walsh, the Georgia Aquarium’s Water Quality Manager.
“We were excited to have the opportunity to partner with the Georgia Aquarium for Georgia STEM Day. Our students loved the opportunity to talk to water quality scientists working to keep the animals healthy. Students could zoom into the lab, where they test water samples from every tank in the aquarium daily. Water quality is vital to the aquarium,” said Dr. Sally Creel, STEM and Innovation Supervisor.
Students listened as the aquarium scientist talked about the importance of water quality and how the staff goes about testing the water.
While workers and students across Georgia went remote, the aquarium crew were still responsible for keeping the animals happy and healthy. So, aquarium staff worked in teams to keep the clean water flowing even when guests could not visit the underwater friends.
The virtual event wasn’t all test tubes and career talk. Harrison students got to see one of the reasons the aquarium staff love their jobs—the animals. At least one waddled down the hall during the students’ virtual STEM Day tour.
“Providing students with access to STEM professionals opens up various future career opportunities that they otherwise may have never known. Connecting what they are learning in class with what a person does in their job every day provides real-world relevance and purpose to their learning,” said Tania Pachuta, Cobb Schools STEM & Innovation PL Specialist.
