With these grant monies, I purchased a Lamotte Limnological Water Quality Testing kit, a separate Dissolved Oxygen testing kit, and a Fecal Coliform Bateria testing kit. Grant monies will also pay for batteries and field trips during the first year of the project.

Water testing kit.

Dissolved Oxygen

To incorporate technology into the water quality testing, I purchased a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) and five Palm IIIc handheld computers with five ImagiWorks probe sensor interfaces to use vernier sensors. The sensors that were purchased will test temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, flow rate, relative humidity, and turbidity. A barometer will be used as well to collect data right on site to compare to the data collected through the use of the above science kits.

In order to film and record the process of conducting the tests and the labs done in class, a digital camcorder was purchased. We will edit the film taken on-site and in-class using iMovie.

By the spring of 2003 I received another grant, the WEA Innovative Educator's Award for $1,500 to purchase another handheld computer, sensor interface and probe along with parts for our very own Benthic Index of Biological Integrity (BIBI) kit!

During the summer of 2003 I applied for and received OSPI's Learn and Serve America Washington grant to take our project to the next level in style. I was awarded approximately $14,000 a year for three years!! With these monies I purchased equipment to create our own DVD's to send to other schools along with software and equipment to create an interactive, online database that we and other schools can add data to as well as map making software.

And it's not over. During the summer of 2006 (after my original three year Learn & Serve grant ended) I applied for and got another $4,000 to keep this water quality project going! Learn & Serve is awesome!!

Learn and Serve America Washington