Floating Classroom - Cayuga WaterLab Cruise

This format is geared toward classes with some experience in a lab environment.
Your program will begin prior to your cruise-date, in class, with student teams reviewing
data from the Project website, and formulating hypotheses about the lake to test on the boat.
Our instructors will assist you in determining questions to explore, and activities to pursue during the cruise.
Recommended cruise length is 2.0 to 3.0 hours, depending on starting location.

Objectives: Students will gain a personal experience to build on as they refine their interests in environmental science-related or local history topics. The experience will lend itself to a variety of writing and presentation exercises, as well. Students will be able to:

• Articulate questions and develop hypotheses that can be tested using scientific principles and technology.
• Use field scientific equipment to collect and observe physical, chemical and biological water samples in order to answer questions.
• Understand, at an appropriate level, that there is variation in lake water quality and habitat; and that physical, chemical and biological components are inter-related.
• Understand the watershed concept and the relationship between water quality and climatic events/human activities.
• Identify services provided by our watershed and Cayuga Lake, and how those services are dependent on the health of the system.

Cayuga WaterLab Cruise At A Glance

Boarding the Boat (10 minutes): Students will receive safety information and will be divided into lab teams of 3-5 for monitoring exercises. Each team will receive a clipboard and datasheet(s).

Cruise onto Lake (20 minutes): Students will receive a narrative overview of the natural and human history of Cayuga Lake. Focal points will be adapted to grade level and class interests as appropriate. Time will be available for questions.

Lake Monitoring (60-120 minutes): One or more stops, depending on class focus (deep/shallow waters, industrial discharges, etc.). Monitoring groups will rotate between stations on the boat, depending on the data they wish to collect. (Click here to see a list of activities!)

Return Cruise: (30 minutes): Data and observations from each monitoring team are discussed collectively, and monitoring groups are invited to use their findings, and those of other
groups, to evaluate their hypotheses about a specific aspect of the lake.

Post-Cruise: Your class will be asked to review and compile the data they collected during their cruise on Cayuga Lake. Once this process has been completed, the collected data may be submitted by your class for inclusion on this websiteís monitoring project database.

For Introductory-Level Cruise Options, See Introductory Cruise Overview

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