MANSFIELD, PA—Teachers from across Pennsylvania gathered for a one-day “Environmental Studies for Teachers” workshop on May 21. The workshop was held at Mansfield University, Mill Cove Environmental Area and the Tioga River watershed and directed by MU Chemistry Professor Scott A. Davis.
The workshop involved in a field course on the chemical and biological assessment of the Tioga River watershed and from the headwaters at County Bridge to the yellow-colored rocks of Island Park in Blossburg.
The workshop also included instruction on sources of pollution and the use of chemical tests and biological species identification to assess the water quality of the Tioga River as well as a demonstration of the complexities of groundwater characterization.
“The goal of the workshop was to provide teachers with tools to help lead their classes in understanding how to study the impact of human activity on surface water and groundwater using science,” Davis said.
MU Chemistry Professor Shaker Ramasamy shared research he is conducting on groundwater quality using the University’s Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) spectrometer with the participants.
Several MU students participated in leading the workshop by 
assisting the teacher-participants in performing chemistry experiments and in the identification of macroinvertebrates from the waterways.
The formal information sharing and lessons were conducted at the Mill Cove Environmental Area. Participants discussed the use of this information to meet curriculum goals, as well as techniques of interpretation in the classroom.
In addition to the day of training and handouts, each of the participants was given an Introduction Water Pollution Kit and a set of Macroinvertebrate Identification Cards for their classroom, in the hopes that they might use them in the future.
This cooperative venture between Mansfield University and Mill Cove Environmental Group was sponsored by Shell Oil and Gas Exploration as part of a competitive grant application. The teacher workshop of the grant proposal was authored by Davis.
An environmental camp is scheduled to be held for students from the area under the same grant in July.