In mid-May the AEL welcomed the 6th graders from the Indianola Informal School for first time since the pandemic. The students had a day packed with learning about aquatic ecosystems!

AELers put together great sessions on:

• Aquatic ecosystems and food webs - the students heard a short lecture from Lyndsie and Devan and then participated in a food web activity
• Collecting data and sampling in aquatic environments - the students donned waders and hopped into the vernal pond by the AEL with some assistance and education from Stu, Hannah, Neal, Rich, and Yifan
• Mussels! - AEL alumna Kaitlin Ulin gave a short lecture and brought some mussels to demonstrate
• Nutrient cycling and pollution - Morgan and Matthew put together a wonderful new demonstration with colorful chemistry
• Otoliths - Steven & Alex showed students learned how otoliths are used to age fish and how the oto rings are analogous to tree rings
• Plankton - Cathy & Willi showed the students live plankton under the microscope

Thanks to all the AELers for their hard work in sharing our knowledge, and to Libby for helping coordinate with the teachers to make this event a success!