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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Madeline Breda

Citizen Science: Emerging Macroinvertebrates

Posted in Children's Education, Learning Experiences on June 25 2015, by Madeline Breda

Madeline Breda is a GreenSchool Science Education Intern at The New York Botanical Garden.

Citizen Science at NYBG
Students performing abiotic water tests on a sample of water from the Bronx River

In early March, I posted a primer on the Garden’s Citizen Science program, focusing on the biotic water quality testing workshops offered to visiting students at NYBG’s own GreenSchool. Presented in partnership with the New York City Department of Education STEM Matters, Citizen Science workshops aim to educate children from all five boroughs about ongoing, “crowd-sourced” scientific research that is accessible to amateur scientists and laymen alike.

Over the course of the month of March, I had the pleasure of working with the students of P.S. / I.S. 87 Middle Village as they sorted leaf packs, bravely handled and identified macroinvertebrates, and ventured into the Thain Family Forest in order to perform site surveys. Under the guidance of science teacher Ms. Vivian Alforque, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders were all given the chance to participate in meaningful scientific research on the grounds of our historic institution.

Now, on to what I’m sure you’ve all been wondering: which macroinvertebrates did we find?

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Citizen Science: Coaxing Life from Frozen Waters

Posted in Children's Education, Learning Experiences on March 5 2015, by Madeline Breda

Madeline Breda is a GreenSchool Science Education Intern at The New York Botanical Garden.

In the Thain Family Forest
In the Thain Family Forest

“What is that?”
“What lives in there? Are they dangerous? Do they bite?”
And, loudest of all, “EWWWWWW!”

These are some of the many questions (and noises of disgust) hurled in retaliation to the dripping, mucky leaf pack I hold up at the front of the classroom. Water fresh from the Bronx River streams from the decomposing leaves into a bucket below, and an odor that could be described as either “earthy” or “gross” pervades the GreenSchool classroom. My charges for the next 90 minutes—a group of unsuspecting middle schoolers—want nothing to do with whatever is going on in that mess of organic matter. Little do they know that within minutes they’ll be clamoring to sort through the leaves and rocks and mysterious river sludge to find living treasures underneath…

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