At Carver, independent long term, phenomena place-based student research is the foundation of Outdoor Education. Our fourth and fifth graders conduct long-term, independent ecological investigations using GLOBE Program protocols, and Georgia Adopt a Stream protocols, to study real phenomena in our schoolyard ecosystems. Students design their own questions, collect and analyze data over time, and communicate their findings through symposium-style research posters, following the Bryan County 5E instructional model. This process is rigorous, student-led, local phenomena based, inquiry-driven, and standards-aligned, and it directly supports Georgia Milestones by strengthening scientific reasoning, data analysis, and evidence-based communication. With only ethical guidelines and a shared research template, every project is unique and personally meaningful, reflecting authentic peer-reviewed scientific practice and preparing students to present their work at a public Student Research Symposium during Earth and Arts Night. The end goal of student research is to connect students with nature, introduce green careers, develop scientific habits of mind, and strengthen student-led Argument Driven inquiry. 

Student collected data is submitted to several research projects and citizen science databases including:

• Georgia Southern Freshwater Ecology Lab crayfish and amphiuma research in the Ogeechee River Basin (specimen, DNA, data)

• Tri-State (GA, SC, NC) Crayfish Research being led by the NC Museum of Natural History (specimen, DNA)

• the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for Procambarus Troglodytes

• iNaturalist and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility

• Dr. Brooke Grubbs, George Washington University Crayfish Database

• MacroBlitz

• USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Students follow industry standard protocols, techniques, and best practices. 

At Carver, students conduct research in the ditch because it is a real, living system where questions matter and evidence can be collected over time. Student research is organized around six focus areas: presence and absence of organisms, abundance and patterns, habitat quality, human impact, change over time, and method testing. Students want to know what lives in the ditch, where organisms are found, and whether some places support more life than others. They investigate how water conditions, habitat features, and nearby human structures influence living things, and how these patterns change after rain, after mowing, across seasons, or with repeated observation. Students also study their own methods by testing and improving trap designs and sampling strategies to ensure their data are reliable. We collect data to move beyond single observations and build evidence that can be compared, analyzed, and discussed. Student data are used to develop claims supported by evidence, to create research posters and presentations, to contribute to long-term datasets about our campus ecosystems, and to inform stewardship decisions about how we care for the ditch as part of the Ogeechee River Basin. Our research also collects data for our campus biological survey. 

Focus Area 1: Presence and Absence: Is anything living here, and where?
Focus Area 2: Abundance and Patterns: How many, and does it change?
Focus Area 3: Habitat Quality: What conditions support life?
Focus Area 4: Human Impact: How do people affect this system?
Focus Area 5: Change Over Time: What might be causing ________ to happen?
Focus Area 6: Method Testing: Does our method work?

Patterns: What patterns do we notice in the system? What patterns do we notice in our data?

Cause and Effect: What might be causing ________ to happen?

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity: How many ________ are in this area? Are some organisms larger in one area than another? What parts of the system might be very small or unseen?

Systems and Systems Models: What are the important parts of the system? How do the parts work together?

Energy and Matter: Where are energy and matter flowing through this system?

Structure and Function: How does the structure of ______ relate to its function?

Stability and Change: What parts of the system are changing over time? What parts seem to stay the same?

Pacific Education Institute. (2015). Field investigations: Using outdoor environments to foster student learning of scientific practices (Rev. ed.). Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. https://www.fishwildlife.org/application/files/3915/1373/0920/ConEd-2015-Revision-Field_Investigations_.pdf

Students first determine if they will have passive or active sampling protocols. Some students choose both protocols. 

Students define passive sampling protocols as using bait and "the trap does not move." Traps are often left overnight.

Students define active sampling protocols as "the trap moves and usually does not have bait." 

Alexander developed a passive sampling method that successfully collects leeches and microfish. He contributes his success to the design of his trap: organisms can swim in but they can't swim out. In his model, Alexander duct taped a funnel to a fish bowl. In his next iteration, "the upgrade," he wants to test a different kind of bait and not use cat food. From his experience, cat food smelled bad, was messy, and made the water "nasty." Other students have copied his method and have revised it with different materials, bait, and survey location. Because of its success, we call this the "Alexander Method." Alexender has shared his documentation for other students so that they can duplicate his method. Because this trap was under water for a long time, Alexander considered air breathing organisms (turtles, amphiuma) and made sure that the opening to the trap was small so that turtles and amphiuma can not enter. 

We review the posters of our scientist partners from the Georgia Southern Freshwater Ecology Lab, Reggie Turner and Henna Gavem. Reggie and Henna visit our campus throughout the year to collect scientific data for their research on amphiuma and crayfish. They teach students field methods and share their research updates. Our students use Reggie and Henna's posters as sample and example templates in developing their own research posters. We also duplicate many of their survey methods and use their methods as foundations for developing our own methods. 

When water quality decreases and we see pollution tolerant species, we "close" the ditch to all investigations. This disrupts student field work and independent research. 

• Red "bloodworms" (subfamily Chironominae) thrive in very low oxygen environments typical of heavy organic pollution. 

•  Decreases in diversity and high abundance of specific tolerant species signify degradation.

• Saprolegnia (water mold) acts as an indicator of poor water quality, specifically highlighting conditions that cause stress in fish, such as high organic loads, low temperatures (often below 10°C), or fluctuating conditions. 

• The "Polychaete/Amphipod" ratio (known as BOPA or BO2A index) is a common method for assessing pollution in coastal environments. A low number of amphipods relative to opportunistic polychaete worms suggests high pollution, such as organic enrichment or industrial sewage.

• Spirogyra thrives in waters with high nitrogen and phosphorus, often associated with agricultural runoff or organic pollution.

• Spirogyra is often found in water that is mildly contaminated, making it an indicator of organic pollution levels. 

About 2-3 times a year, the ditch is closed because of drought conditions. There is no water! This natural phenomena is a great subject for student inquiry because most students ask, "where did the water go?" Or, "what happened to the ditch?"