Overview

The technology we build often results in our waterways being overlooked; fast roads and bridges have us crossing creeks and rivers without notice. But water is every bit as important in the age of technology as it was prior, so why not build and use technology to highlight this critical resource and help raise awareness of the quality of our streams?

This camp will turn 8 high school students into citizen scientists as they work together to build 4 Mayfly water monitoring stations and install them in the nearby creeks of Lynchburg. The data these stations collect will be transmitted in real-time to a publicly available website.

Curriculum

In the process of building Mayfly monitoring stations, students will learn about,

• Water data and its uses
• Arduino programming
• Water data instrumentation and collection
• Map reading and environmental importance
• Basic electronics
• Batteries and solar power systems
• Making a waterproof enclosure and stand
• Station installation and maintenance

Schedule

This camp is from 9:00am - 3:00pm starting Monday, July 19 and ending Friday, July 23.

Friday will be spent traveling to chosen installation locations and getting our hands dirty installing the stations.

Eligibility

This project is for students ages 14 to 19. The early registration fee is $225 until June 14th, and $250 afterwards.

Scholarships are available by application on the Scholarships tab. The application period closes July 5th and the applicants will be notified by July 12th.

Additional Information

Face masks and frequent hand washing will be required during this program. Social distancing will be implemented as often as possible, but students will sometimes need to work closely in a shared space with shared tools. Tools will be cleaned prior to use by students, and the health of each student will be assessed regularly. With this small group (eight students) we will be able to quickly alert participants of any known COVID exposures and the program will be halted if such a situation arises. Camp instructors are fully vaccinated. Parents and students will need to review and sign this COVID-19 Student Behavior Agreement prior to project participation.

Sponsors

This project is a partnership with the Lynchburg Department of Water Resources.