Today we had a great day out on Cayuga Lake. We studied the effects of land use in the Salmon Creek Watershed on water quality in the lake. We learned that farming and road salting in this area could potentially have harmful effects on the lake when things like pesticides, manure, soil, and salt make their way into the streams.

Here, the first group measures the average depth of a cross section of the stream. We calculated that Salmon Creek was discharging approximately 93 cubic feet/second into the lake. We learned that this stream accounts for about 12% of all water entering the lake.


At one station on the boat we drifted a net through the water to catch the plankton (tiny plant and animal-like organisms that live in the water).













Then we went inside the cabin to get a closer look under the compound light microscopes. Here, JORDAN and STEVEN get a good look at some diatoms and Daphnia.
ARRRRRRR!

'Nuff Said!

Today we were "nut and bolt" scientists working on a taxonomy (classification) lab. Students categorized their cups of junk into categories based on similarities. Here, MARTIN and ALEX defend their classification scheme.

I couldn't agree more.

Saturday 14 October is Cornell University's Insectapalooza 2006. The event goes from 9am to 3pm in Comstock Hall. I encourage everyone to participate if you are looking for something interesting to do that day. Entomology (the study of insects) is one of my favorite areas of biology and I'm sure everyone will find it cool, also. If you go, you will receive extra credit. Just make sure you bring back proof that you went.

Friday we talked a little about trans fat and how bad it is for us. Studies have shown that:

Trans fats cause significant and serious lowering of HDL (good) cholesterol and a significant and serious increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol; make the arteries more rigid; cause major clogging of arteries; cause insulin resistance; cause or contribute to type 2 diabetes; and cause or contribute to other serious health problems.

After checking out this page make sure you check your nutrition labels.

Today in lab we took temperature data every minute as water went from solid to liquid to gas. Students will be showing me their skills in the graphing department. Make sure you label your axis and give it a title. Here, members of 1st period...PETER, TASIA, SIERRA, ASHLEY, LEVI, and ASHLYN...pose for a quick photo.

Tonight the boys modified soccer team spanked Moravia 4-2 with goals from GAGE B., DANA S., CHAD W., and QUIN W. Nice job guys! Who's that taking a nap on the field??
QUIN W. gets ready to stuff the ball down the goalie's throat.
COURTNEY W., EMILY F., MEGAN B., and SHYANNE W. even showed up to cheer the guys on. Looks like the boys soccer team will have to go to the next home cross country meet.

Saturday the modified cross country team competed at the 1.5 mile Baldwinsville Invitational. The girls finished 16th out of 25 teams and everyone had an excellent performance. You guys should be proud! Leading the way were SHYANNE W., ERICA S., ASHLEY M., COURTNEY W., and JENNIFER S. View the results at this site. ERICA and SHYANNE try to get the best position before heading into the woods. SHYANNE was Groton's best finisher, coming in 31st out of 184 runners. Also, just a reminder that we have a home meet Tuesday at Stonehedges and cross country pictures are this Thursday. Please bring your uniforms.

Friday we watched the IMAX film "Cosmic Voyage". This is one of my personal favorites because it makes you realize how small you are in relation to the whole universe. It can be viewed online here if you have a fast internet connection.

Thursday the modified football team hosted their first home football game against Moravia. Here the team receives some water and inspiration from Coach Conner and Coach Ott.
Apply that Red Zone defense!

ATTENTION PARENTS. If you have not received an email from me and would like to be on the list please email me at cdevoe@groton.cnyric.org and I will be sure to add you. ALSO, I am seeking empty computer ink cartridges and old no-longer-used cell phones for a classroom fundraiser to purchase bird seed and new binoculars for this winter's feeder watching season. Thanks to those who have donated already!

Today we briefly talked about the bad effects of mercury on humans and other animals. There is a high risk today of brain and other developmental problems, especially among pregnant women that eat tuna or swordfish. Coal-burning power plants in the Midwest are mostly at blame as their pollution is blown into the Northeast and deposited in our lakes, streams, and oceans.This website has a lot of information on the topic.

Wow! Great job to ASHLEY M, JENNIFER S, KATIE G, ERICA S, COURTNEY W, TYRONE C, SHYANNE W, EMILY C, DANIELLE S, MARY O, and HALLE S for running 3.2 miles today in cross country through mud, bushes, and prickers! You guys are tough. Come see us run tomorrow against Moravia, Lansing, and Southern Springs at the Moravia Golf Course at 4:45.

MIKAELA and KAITLYN show off their experiment where they tested the effects of food coloring on slug feeding preference. Today was the last day of Slugfest 2006 and now the students are busy writing up their results.

In other news...EMILY K, whom I had last year, donated a baby snapping turtle to our class. Now we need to come up with a name for it. Lets throw out some ideas in the comment section and we will have an online vote for the name.

Also...For those of you that would like to get a head start, we will be having a test this Tuesday on the scientific method and measurement. We will spend Monday reviewing but you can start looking through your notes if you would like. I don't think anyone will have a problem with this test.

It was great to meet all of the parents tonight at open house. I thought the turnout was amazing and I'm glad to see so many parents that are supportive of their child's education. You students should feel pretty lucky. I'm looking to finish the week on a positive note tomorrow. See you then.

OPEN HOUSE is TOMORROW night at 7pm! I am looking forward to seeing all of you there with your parents. No one has done anything terrible yet so I have nothing but good stuff to say at this point = ) Below we have a picture of day 2 of Slugfest 2006. GABE and BRETT are testing their slug's preference between lettuce and mushroom. I can't wait to see tomorrow's results.



Make sure you guys think about what you want to test in tomorrow's experiment on slug eating preferences. You could test the effects of light vs. dark, inside vs. outside air temperature, etc. You could soak your plant materials in something strange if you'd like. Remember you need a control though. This is your chance to get creative and to learn more about your slugs.

SLUGFEST 2006 is underway! Today we made observations and inferences about our garden slugs. Thanks to everyone that has been bringing in slugs for class. SIERRA K. gets special recognition for finding a (somewhat rare) Leopard Slug that measures almost 17cm (7") when fully stretched out! Below KRAIG and RILEY compile observations while MARY and MEGAN get a closer look using the dissecting microscope. Tomorrow and Thursday we will be setting up food preference experiments to get a better understanding of what slugs like to feed on. Who's excited???

Guys, I'm really going to be making the push for people to bring in slugs over the next couple days. They are more common at night and early morning on wet tall grass andother vegetation. Wednesday we will need about 200 of them. Right now we barely have 50. PLEASE!!!!!!