News Center

April 17, 2015 – Creek Connections will host its 20th annual Student Research Symposium at Allegheny College on Friday, April 24 in the college’s Campus Center. Community members are invited to view students’ project displays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Creek Connections is an outreach program of Allegheny College that brings hands-on, inquiry-based education about watersheds to students ranging in age from elementary to high school.

Throughout the school year, participating students retrieve water samples and conduct research on various waterways, monitoring the conditions that affect the creeks’ water quality. At the research symposium, they come together to share interactive research displays, oral presentations and hands-on workshops with their classmates, teachers and the community.

Approximately 400 students will attend the symposium, representing schools from northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York. Several environmental organizations will also present displays. Professor of Environmental Science Eric Pallant will give a presentation on water issues in Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Among the schools planning to participate are Clymer Central High School in New York, Bristol High School in Ohio and a number of schools in Pennsylvania: Cochranton High School, Conneaut Area Senior High, Conneaut Lake Middle School, Crawford Central Elementary Gifted, Fort LeBoeuf Middle School, Hermitage School District Green Team, Maplewood High School, Northwestern High School, Saegertown High School, Titusville Middle School and Youngsville High School.

“The symposium is a big day for the local elementary schools, daycares and preschools to come and learn from the projects on display,” said Wendy Kedzierski, Creek Connections project director. “First District Elementary second-graders, as well as the preschool classes from Meadville Cooperative Preschool and Meadville Children’s Center, are long-time visitors to the symposium. We’re especially excited to be celebrating a double milestone: our 20th annual symposium and the 200th year of Allegheny College.”

An earlier symposium, on April 17 at YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee in Fombell, showcased the work of students from southwestern Pennsylvania.

During the past year, Creek Connections has been supported by Allegheny College and individual donors as well as by grants from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Bayer USA Foundation, Bayer Cares Foundation, Buhl Foundation, Grable Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Creek Connections also received support during the past year through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program from Fluidraulics Inc.; Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield; Northwest Savings Bank; PNC Capital Markets, LLC; and Waste Management.

For more information, contact Wendy Kedzierski at 814-332-5351 or visit creekconnections.allegheny.edu.