Virtual Webinar Series Explores Aquatic Science

Curious about how scientists study fish populations or climate change? Or how drones are used to map streams and lakes? 

Then check out “Zoom a Scientist,” an interactive, virtual webinar series focused on watershed and aquatic science. It's hosted by the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension Lake Champlain Sea Grant Education Team every Tuesday and Friday from noon to 1 p.m. Although geared to middle and high school students, content also will be of interest to younger students and adults.

“With schools closed due to COVID-19, we are unable to provide our regular, place-based Watershed Alliance programming for K-12 students and teachers,” said Ashley Eaton, Watershed and Lake Education Coordinator with Lake Champlain Sea Grant. “However, through these virtual learning sessions, we are able to continue to connect our community with place and provide insight into current research on the health of our watershed.”

The programs are free although registration is requested. For details, go to http://go.uvm.edu/seagrant-live. Sessions will be recorded and archived for future viewing at this same link. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, please send an email to watershd [at] uvm.edu.

Featured presenters include scientists and researchers from the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, and State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh and the Lake Champlain Research Institute, among other organizations. 

The schedule and registration links for individual webinars are as follows: 

April 3: Watershed Science 101 (http://go.uvm.edu/watershed101); Lake Champlain Sea Grant's Education Team members Caroline Blake, Ashley Eaton, and Nate Trachte will describe the complex interactions that play a role in the health of a watershed, explore monitoring techniques for lakes and streams, and discuss what individuals can do to protect their local watershed.  

April 7: Oil Spill! (http://go.uvm.edu/oilspill); U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Jason Scott, recent Rubenstein School graduate student, will explain how oil spills occur, the environmental impacts, clean-up procedures, and oil spill preparedness plans for the Lake Champlain Basin. 

April 10: Photogrammetry 101 (http://go.uvm.edu/photogrammetry101); Chris Sabick, director of research and archeology at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, will present 3-D models of shipwrecks, based on field research, with examples from Lake Champlain and around the world. 

April 14: What Do Fish Do in the Wintertime? (http://go.uvm.edu/winterfish); Ben Block, a UVM graduate student, will provide insight into how fish in northern lakes adapt to conditions during colder months. 

April 17: Climate Change in the Lake Champlain Basin: What's Already Happened and Where We're Headed (http://go.uvm.edu/basinclimate);  Dr. Eric Leibensperger, SUNY Plattsburgh, will highlight climate changes already observed and changes projected to occur in the Champlain Valley. 

April 21: A Fish's Story: Following Lake Trout Movement Around Lake Champlain (http://go.uvm.edu/fishstory); UVM Rubenstein School graduate student Matt Futia will explore recent advances in technology that allow researchers to track individual fish to understand their movement and behaviors. 

April 24: Microplastics in Freshwater Systems (http://go.uvm.edu/microplastics); Dr. Danielle Garneau, SUNY Plattsburgh, will share findings from her research on microplastics in Lake Champlain. 

April 28: Long-term Effects of Climate Change on Lakes and the Importance of Winter Sampling (http://go.uvm.edu/wintersampling); Dr. Jennifer Brentrup, postdoctoral associate at UVM and Dartmouth College, will describe research on the effects of climate change and extreme events on lakes and how dissolved oxygen levels are used to estimate lake metabolism under ice. 

May 1: Sensing What is in the Water: Next-generation Sensor Technologies for Water Quality Monitoring (http://go.uvm.edu/sensortech); Dr. Breck Bowden, Lake Champlain Sea Grant director, will review how researchers measure water quality and traditional sampling methods along with how new technologies provide new insights for scientists. 

May 5: But How Do We Know? Sampling Fish to Understand What's Happening with Populations (http://go.uvm.edu/fishsample); Dr. Ellen Marsden, UVM Rubenstein School fisheries biologist, will delve into how scientists observe fish through remote sampling and other methods and interpret data from those samples to understand the overall fish population in a lake. 

May 8: Squeezing the Middle of Lake Champlain's Food Web (http://go.uvm.edu/lakefoodweb); Dr. Jason Stockwell, Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory director, will share his research on the interaction of lake trout natural reproduction and stocking strategies. 

May 12: Mapping our Streams and Lakes with Drones (http://go.uvm.edu/dronemapping); Learn how drones are being used to map invasive species, respond to floods, and track changes in streams in the Lake Champlain watershed with Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, director of the UVM Spatial Analysis Laboratory. 

Additional programs may be planned for future dates with dates and details announced on the website.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant is hosted by UVM in partnership with the SUNY Plattsburgh. It operates with additional support and collaboration with UVM Extension and several state and local organizations.