Water Quality Citizen Science

My name is Keith Piccard .  I am a middle school science teacher for Allendale Public Schools as well as a senior adjunct biology professor for Grand Valley State University . My undergraduate studies were in the field of biology and have also earned my Masters of Education in Biology with a focus in aquatic ecology. My experience planning and implementing lessons and laboratories in the field of biology and ecology, as well as teaching a large student body, has prepared me be able to organize and conduct a wide range of interpretive programs, lessons, lectures, activities, and special events  to help promote environmental / science education.

Helping a people and community to understand processes involved in biology while learning and growing academically, instills within them a passion for the field of science. It is a wonderful gift. I love watching students of any age when they make a new connection or discovery. This is a completely inspiring experience. It motivates me in my career. 

Over the course of my career, I have created the RAIL Project .  The RAIL Project is an award winning  comprehensive K-12 curriculum  that gets students out of the classroom and outside exploring and learning about nature with hands-on inquiry-based research projects and then allows students to share their results with the scientific community .

RAIL Project: 2014 Education Excellence Award Recipient


One major part of this project is the use of aquatic macroinvertebrates.  Aquatic macroinvertebrates are such an interesting way to bring a hands-on inquiry-based activity into any classroom by letting your student gain an insight into concepts and processes that occur within the mysterious world of a stream ecosystem. 

Just recently, with the help of Bizstream ,  to go a step further in making these aquatic invertebrates accessible to anyone who is curious about their water (thinking of the Flint Water Crisis and the Wolverine Worldwide PFAS concerns) I have created the RAIL Project App .  The RAIL Project App is an online database to help anyone who can gain access water identify the aquatic invertebrates they see, upload that data, and then get a comprehensive report on the stream ecosystem attributes and water quality index score of that aquatic system. See the video walk through of how the beta version of this app works.
  
A link to view preliminary reports for water quality and ecosystem attributes are located HERE .

What the money donated will do:
Phase I of database ($15,000-$25,000 Grant):

The main goal of the Phase I is to polish the RAIL Project App an interactive database that can be used to enter a variety of data and create a variety of visually engaging and interactive graphs. Key components of this include:
               Making the database a public domain
               
               Allowing for people, groups, schools,   
                researchers, etc. to identify themselves and   
                set up an account

               Creating an administrator side of database to
                allow validity of the data entered to be       
                checked (also allows admin to select when and
                how data is released to the public).

                Funding for Community Field Day: an Annual 
                Celebration of Citizen Science held on the
                Allendale Public Schools K-8 Campus

Data entered will focus on parameters shared by both RAIL Project, Allegheny College's Creek Connection, and GVSU Aquatic Ecology courses and includes:

                 Water Quality parameters (i.e. dissolved oxygen,
                  nitrates, phosphates, total dissolved solids,
                  conductivity, WQI, etc.)

                 Aquatic Macroinvertebrates (using FFG to
                 identify stream ecosystem attributes)

Phase II (>$50,000 +):

The main goals of the Phase II are to 1) develop methods (i.e. gaming)to encourage participants to engage in data collection and analysis efforts, 2) increase the breadth of studies that use an interactive database and 3) add mobile technology to activities. These goals will be achieved by:

                Incorporating games and gaming psychology
                into  the interactive database

                Awarding virtual points in games using an 
                “avatar” character

               Developing interactive activities, leveled
               questions, with geo-cashing like learning
               stations

               Receiving email updates when someone else
               added data to a study that you took part in

              Mobile QR codes with short geology, biology,     
              etc.  learning blips of the surrounding area of
              given locations

              Google Earth overlays and high resolution
              Gigapan photo coverage of campus


With your help, I want to take this beta version of the RAIL App to a whole new level.

Thank you in advance,
Keith Piccard