Snap Talk by Carl Kirby

Abstract: An upper-level class field research project in a local stream, followed by an honors thesis, found no fish due to acid rain, whereas a nearby stream held fish and good water quality. Another student and I studied a larger region. Most streams flowing through the Tuscarora sandstone could not neutralize acid precipitation, whereas adjacent sandstones could (reported in Science of the Total Environment). I developed an intro-level field exercise adopted by several departmental colleagues. The discovery-based exercise has students collect data, form hypotheses, write a report, receive feedback from the instructor, then peer-revise.