2011 has been a big year for environmental science and research. It is, after all, the international year of chemistry, the one hundredth anniversary of Parks Canada and the year the Bay of Fundy was inducted as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

To commemorate these environmental and scientific milestones, five female students from Riverview, New Brunswick participated in the “Riverview High School Water Project.” Under the guidance of chemistry teacher Ian Fogerty, and with the help of PASCO probeware, Robyn O’Dell, Marlise O’Brien, Rebecca Laffoley, Shandelle Murray, and Ha-Gyoung Yoon mapped and analyzed water quality throughout the Fundy Biosphere Reserve.

After taking measurements of pH levels, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrates, the team has set out to determine how these properties change throughout the day, while collecting baseline data for a citizen science legacy project.

Their efforts have resulted in an invitation to participate in the Chemistry World Youth Conference in Lima, Peru this November.

We’d like to congratulate the girls on their contribution to science and wish them luck at their upcoming conference. Their passion for science and environmental preservation is nothing short of inspiring.