This past June, 14 local high school students began scientific research projects through Environmentor, a RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity) internship program. RISE is one of thirty academic, research, and cultural institutions across all five boroughs participating in New York City Science Research and Mentoring Consortium (NYCSRMC).
Under the mentorship of scientists from local universities and research institutions, students conducted authentic environmental research focused on the unique environments of Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway shoreline.
Environmentors met all of the mentors and heard introductions to each of their projects, before being matched based on their preferences. There were several options to choose from. Dr. Jacob Weger, from Seton Hall University, sought to understand how local residents and visitors relate to the changing environment around Rockaway Beach. Amanda Flores and Dr. Chester Zarnoch, from Benthic Ecology Lab at Baruch College, deployed mussels at various locations within West Pond in Jamaica Bay to identify where they are most vulnerable to predation and potentially identify specific predators. Thomas Morton and Dr. Brett Branco, from Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay at Brooklyn College, collected wave and elevation data using high-tech instruments to determine current shoreline conditions. Yijie Shen and Dr. Bekka Brodie, from Columbia University, investigated coastal tiger beetles and ground beetles and why they live in certain areas. Russell Jacobs, from New York Bird Alliance, monitored fishing success and the foraging geography of common and least terns in Rockaway Beach Endangered Shorebird Nesting Area to better understand the availability of forage species in the surrounding waters.
Throughout the summer, Environmentors could be found all around the Rockaways, conducting fieldwork. Their projects included placing and monitoring wave sensors in Jamaica Bay, interviewing passersby on the boardwalk, using binoculars to count least terns, building traps and catching insects in the dunes, calculating cordgrass density around West Pond to evaluate its relationship to ribbed mussel survivorship, and more. When not in the field, the interns practiced public speaking skills with Irondale and got to surf, swim, and kayak.
Their summer culminated in creating and presenting their research posters at NYCSRMC Symposium at American Museum of Natural History. They joined more than five hundred peers from other programs and presented their work to an audience of 1,900 attendees.
Our 14 Environmentors now join an alumni network of more than 5,500 Pinkerton Science Scholars. We are so proud of their hard work and growth this summer. Their posters can be found on www.riserockaway.org.
We thank our sponsors for their support: Altman Foundation, Glenn W. Bailey Foundation, Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust, Ichigo Foundation, and The Pinkerton Foundation.
