Center for Aquatic Research

By Doug Lippincott, Executive Director of Communications

It was a Chamber of Commerce day Tuesday (July 28)  on Keuka Lake.

Temperatures were in the mid-80s and a number of sailboats were taking advantage of a lively breeze. Water skiers zipped along the surface as pleasure boats skimmed the water at a leisurely pace.

Meanwhile, aboard the stationary Keuka College vessel, the focus was on hands-on, experiential learning.  Five of the six  high school teachers attending the Rochester Area Colleges—Center for Excellence in Math and Science (RAC-CEMS) summer institute were getting their hands wet–literally.

Keuka was one of seven colleges and organizations selected to host an institute.  The five-day Keuka institute is titled “Using Zebra Mussels for Good, not Evil:  Hands-on Experiments and Modeling Activities.”

“We’re going to find out what the water quality is like where the zebra mussels are,” said Tim Sellers, a limnologist and associate professor of biology and environmental science at the College.

Sellers said zebra mussels attach to the bottom of lakes, although their preferred food (plankton) is more plentiful near the top.

Zebra mussels look like small clams, with yellowish or brownish D-shaped shells, usually with alternating dark and light brands of color. Via small, tight elastic threads, they attach themselves firmly to solid objects. But don’t be fooled by their diminutive size. They have the ability to wreak havoc with our lakes, rivers and streams. These invasive creatures have been known to clog pipes in the homes of waterside residents and jam water treatment and power plant systems.

Sellers, who also directs Keuka’s Center for Aquatic Research, demonstrated research techniques with such equipment as the Secchi disk (measures water clarity) and Van Dorn water sampler. And then the institute participants got their opportunity: Kyla Lester (Corning West High School), Barbara Densmore (Wilson Magnet High School Commencement Academy), Kerry Mette (Geneva High School), Maureen Jarvis (Skaneateles High School), and Maureen Russell (Naples Jr.-Sr. High School).

Sellers; Michael Keck, chair of the Division of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Physical Education and associate professor of chemistry; and Joyce Monje, instructor of mathematics, are serving as institute faculty.

Photos of the Summer Institute activities at Keuka College are available here.