Exploring the Lakes (2011)
Directed by David J. Ruck
Produced by GVSU-Annis Water Resources Institute
RT: 12:00
Audience: Students, teachers, donors
Purpose: Prepare classrooms (students and teachers) for a day aboard the research vessels at Annis Water Resources Institute
Grand Valley State University's Annis Water Resources Institute does some fine aquatic science and research. From habitat restoration, monitoring and ecology, the institute is on the cutting edge of Great Lakes science, especially in and around Muskegon, Michigan where it is located.
Another aspect of GVSU is the fantastic outreach opportunities they provide to students and teachers, introducing them to lake ecology and how scientists study the lakes. In order to prepare students for this learning experience, this video demonstrates to them what the students will be doing, how to prepare, what to bring, and how to behave on board.
More of a how-to video than anything else, this project provided some interesting challenges. Most notably, filming on a moving boat on the water with kids!
This video is still used to showcase the activities of shipboard science to classrooms and gives a good overview of what students will learn aboard the W.G. Jackson or the D.J. Angus.
Photo:
The R/V W.G. Jackson heads out onto Muskegon Lake in the early morning with a crew of teachers and students to perform lake ecology studies.
Photo by David J. Ruck