High School Teachers Study Bacteria Testing Methods

High school teachers from across the state got their feet wet at the University of Hartford recently, learning about new laboratory bacteria testing methods and how to incorporate them into their classrooms.

Approximately 20 teachers spent Aug. 3-5 on the university campus, where they took samples from the Park River as part of “SEARCH: Laboratory Bacteria Testing Methods for Teachers.”

The SEARCH training session at the university is part of the Connecticut Department of Higher Education’s 2005 Teacher Quality Partnership Program. It is a cooperative effort of the University of Hartford, the Science Center of Connecticut in West Hartford, and the Connecticut Department of Higher Education. Project SEARCH is a water quality monitoring and aquatic studies program for high schools designed to effect change in the teaching of science and mathematics.

Karen Barrett, assistant professor and program director of the Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology Program in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions, said that SEARCH is a wonderful science program that teaches students the real-world application of science while generating useful information. Students utilize standard techniques to collect and interpret data from Connecticut’s rivers, streams and wetlands, and then submit data to the state Department of Environmental Protection and to municipal officials.

“It is a great program for students because they learn field testing in an out-of-classroom experience,” said Barrett. “The state gets the data they need and the students learn something about real science.”

Teachers who participated in the program on campus last week were from Nathan Hale-Ray High School in East Haddam, Enfield High School, Glastonbury High School, Ella Grasso Regional Technical School in Groton, Xavier High School in Middletown, Montville High School, New Britain High School, Cooperative High School in New Haven, The Williams School in New London, Newtown High School, North Branford High School, Crosby High School and Wilby High School, both in Waterbury, and Bulkeley High School and A.I. Prince Regional Vocational Technical School, both in Hartford.