by Suraida Nañez-James
Challenging … interdisciplinary … innovative … exciting! These are just a few of the words that have been used to describe HRI’s Laguna Outreach Project (LOP).
   Since the start of the project in fall 2007, teachers and ninth graders from the Innovation Academy have collected monthly research data on the flora and fauna surrounding the TAMU-CC Laguna Madre Field Station. Teachers and students had the opportunity to work one-on-one with the university's research faculty and are beginning to comprehend how the research these professors are doing affects their lives and environment.
   The first professor to participate in LOP was Dr. Patrick Larkin, a Professor of Biochemistry with the TAMU-CC College of Science and Technology. Larkin lectured on the biology and ecology of seagrasses, as well as its vital importance to the Laguna Madre ecosystem. He shared his thoughts with Channel 3 News about how LOP is impacting these students.
   "I liked the fact that Dr. Larkin wanted to take the time to teach us about his seagrass research," said ninth grader Michael Goynes, adding, "I hope HRI will continue to have him come out and teach us, so that future students can keep learning how animals and plants live together in the Laguna Madre."
   Dr. Rebekah Thomas, HRI Research Associate and Associate Professor of Physiology with the TAMU-CC College of Science and Technology, also contributed her time to LOP and shared her expertise on fish physiology. Thomas led the students in an activity demonstrating how temperature affects fish ventilation. Students worked in small groups and had to use the basic knowledge gained from the short lecture and from their high school classes in order to evaluate and analyze their experimental results. Ninth grader Jonathan Arrevalos expressed how this process was not as easy as it looked: "Dr. Thomas is intelligent and very committed to her research. She taught me a variety of things about fish physiology and really challenged me to think critically about the experiment we were doing. It was difficult, but I enjoyed the experience.”
   Thomas said, “As a professor, you expect higher level thinking from your university students. Without saying so, I expected the same from these ninth graders, and they delivered.”
   Suraida Nañez-James, HRI Research Specialist and LOP Director, said these lessons are a major step in bridging the gap between scientific research and education outreach. “It is essential that the community, especially our youth, is not only aware of the research we are doing but that they understand the significance of it. The Laguna Outreach Project is the first step towards this understanding.” Future lessons will include lectures on water quality and fish population dynamics plus others that will give the students a chance to experience various marine careers.