STEM

Adirondack Field Studies Program

• Adirondack Program Flyer

This advanced learning opportunity is coordinated by the OCM BOCES Science Center with OCM BOCES member School Districts. Summer programs are extensive and unique 5 & 6 day environmental education programs that are designed to provide opportunities for district students in grades 10 - 11. Program and transportation coordinated by the Science Center. Each program deals with a specific ecological system:

Students will conduct individual and group research projects to investigate such questions as the effect of acid rain on various organisms and ecosystems, the effects of man on natural environments or the effect of climate on specific populations. Each problem will be studied in a variety of habitats including the bog, lake, pond, woods, stream, meadow, and mountain.

The uniqueness of this program lies in the partnership it represents between practicing researchers in aquatic and terrestrial ecology and secondary educators in the field of science. Students will be guided by a team of instructors from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and local high school teachers with a strong interest in ecology. Students will have access to both the equipment and the personnel at the Biological Research Station at Cranberry Lake, giving them real insight as to how environmental research is actually carried out.

This is a unique six-day environmental education program designed to provide opportunities for students in Grades 10-11. Students explore the ecology of the Adirondack Mountains and gain hands-on experience in use of the scientific method through both a structured program and independent research. Through daily field excursions and group projects, students will develop an understanding of the ecology of the Adirondack Mountain region and an appreciation for the beauty and complexity of living systems. Investigations in the field and in the lab involve the student in all aspects of the scientific method, from hypothesis formation to data interpretation. The program ends with a symposium in which students present the results of their research projects. The setting for the program is the Cranberry Lake Biological Station, owned by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and located on Cranberry Lake in the northwestern Adirondacks. Although the facility is on the mainland, it is highly isolated and accessible only by boat. Each day, students will be guided by a team of instructors from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and local high school science teachers with a strong interest in ecology. Students will have access to both the equipment and the personnel at the Biological Research Station at Cranberry Lake, giving them real insight as to how biological research is actually carried out. Students will be housed at the Biological Station in comfortable, rustic cabins.