Project: Campus Bioblitz Community Science Project
Location: Marion C. Moore School, 6415 Outer Loop, Louisville, KY 40228
Budget: $0
Materials: Used tools and materials that belonged to science teachers and the Environmental Science Program including insect nets, aquatic nets, hand lenses, binoculars, field guides for identification, clipboards
Participants: Middle and High School Environmental Science Classes, Science Classes
The purpose of the Campus BioBlitz Community Science Program was to conduct a biodiversity survey to collect data about the number of plant, animal, and fungi species living on the school campus at Marion C. Moore School in Louisville, Kentucky. This project provided the opportunity for students to learn about ecosystem interactions and highlighted the importance of biodiversity. They gained experience conducting fieldwork and completing a biodiversity survey. Students shared data across classes and grade levels and worked in teams to design solutions to protect biodiversity and reduce the impacts of human activities on the environment. The BioBlitz was an experiential learning and community-building activity that brought students together across grade levels to achieve a common goal.
Students conducting a stream study to identify aquatic insects, invertebrates, fish, plants, and algae
Teachers birdwatching during the Campus BioBlitz
Trout Lily (Dogtooth Violet)
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Queen Anne's Lace
Trillium
Broadleaf Cattail
Mayapple
Purple Coneflower
Coriopsis
Milkweed
Tulip Poplar Sapling
Red Bud
Goldenrod
Dandelion
Stinging Nettle
Wood Sorrel
Violet
Hairy Vetch
Hairy Vetch
Purple Crownvetch
Oxeye Daisy
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
MS-LS2-2. Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
HS-LS2-1. Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.
HS-LS2-2. Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.