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Beacon Institute, Tech Valley High School to Construct Water Sensors to Gather Data

View media alert for 3/12/09 here

It’s a well-known fact that the U.S. is not graduating enough scientists, engineers and technology workers to replace the current generation of American baby boomers reaching retirement age. It’s not that the U.S. doesn’t have the academic talent to compete globally in the scientific and technical fields; rather, today’s students are not choosing to pursue careers in these fields.

Enter Tech Valley High School. Created in 2007, the school strongly emphasizes math, science and technology within the context of a well-rounded education to prepare students to support the Capital Region’s emerging high tech and global economy. A leader in combining the latest technology with project-based learning, Tech Valley HS embraced the opportunity to pilot SENSE IT, a unique and innovative environmental curriculum designed by Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries. Beacon Institute is pioneering the River and Estuary Observatory Network (REON) – a real-time integrated network of sensors, robotics and computational technology distributed throughout the 315-mile river to monitor the health of the river, in partnership with Clarkson University and IBM.

SENSE IT brings REON technology into the classroom with professional development and curricula modules for teachers to implement with their students in constructing prototype water sensors, with the ultimate goal of engaging students in science, engineering and technology career paths.

SENSE IT is funded, in part, by a significant grant from the National Science Foundation and an Innovation Generation grant from Motorola Foundation, as well as support from New York State and several regional funders, including the Bender Scientific Fund of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, Louis Greenspan Charitable Trust and Verizon Foundation.

“We congratulate Beacon Institute and Tech Valley High School on the success of the SENSE IT pilot,
launched with seed funding from the Bender Scientific Fund,” said Roy Stevens, Ph.D. of the Bender
Science Fund committee. “SENSE IT perfectly illustrates our desire to support and promote discovery in
science and technology and to inspire youth to explore science and math. We look forward to the
growing, positive and lasting impact that SENSE IT is having on students in the Capital region and
beyond.”

“The main benefit to students from this collaboration with Beacon Institute is direct experience with how the very things they are studying in school – algebra and environmental science – are actually being applied in the real world,” said TVHS Principal Dan Liebert. “This is a prime example of where we at Tech Valley High can share what we are doing with our colleagues throughout the entire Capital Region.”

“Our goal is to use the Hudson River and the REON project as learning platforms to demonstrate how science and technology help us view, interpret and interact with the environment,” said Liesl Hotaling, Beacon Institute Chief Education Officer, SENSE IT creator and a nationally recognized expert in developing internet-based science curricula for K-12 teachers.

"For New York State and the nation to remain competitive in the global economy it is essential we develop math, science and engineering skills in young students," said Beacon Institute Director and CEO John Cronin. "By combining an environmentally-driven purpose—the monitoring and protection of critical waterways— with advanced technological skills, we are preparing a new generation of innovators and leaders who can address one of our most pressing regional, national and global environmental challenges—threatened water resources."

 

Beacon Institute extends special thanks to New York State Senators Stephen M. Saland and Vincent L. Leibell.

Read more:  Beacon Institute and Clarkson University Win Coveted National Science Foundation Award