The Scientific Brew

There is no doubt that there is nothing better on this earth than consuming a warm drink and talking about science. This year, this was done in the form of the first annual, Plymouth State University Science Brew Café, where curious onlookers and scientifically minded individuals discussed science related concepts and academia at Biederman's Deli and Pub. To be more specific, the crux of the event was to virtually hold a forum, where onlookers listen to a scientific lecture based upon a single premise. This year the concept was, "What is in our rivers and streams." There, the three hosts, Mark Green, Hydrologist and Assistant Professor, Erin Volitis, research assistant for the project and Ashley Hyde, graduate student in Environmental Science and policy, talk about our impact on the salt in our streams.
The team was able to do this by placing two censors into as many rivers as possible and sense how easy or difficult it was for electricity to pass through the water. How this works is, the more salt within the river, the easier it is to get a charge. The three, with help from many volunteers (lovingly called "citizen scientists"), placed censors in over 100 sites-- from big rivers, to tiny streams, to the tiniest of storm drains--all with varying water flows, scenery and erosion rates. This was done to discover the places where the overall electricity rates vary, due to the amount of water being contaminated with the salt we spray on roads. More or less, this forum demonstrated how humans affect the environment. One example being, the overabundance of acid rain, destroying, bit by bit, calcium deposits, which bleed into the rivers.
The salt causes stress upon the environment, namely the animal life within. The higher salt content, the more stress it places upon the ecosystem, making it harder for animals to actually live in those streams. Consequently, lower salt content bereft the animals from getting their natural salt quota, which keeps their neural system running.
The main manner in which the three members obtained their data, was the citizen scientists, who consisted of a range of different people, from grandparent's, to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. The members taught the volunteers how to install and obtain the data needed for the team to continue their experiment, which conjoined the community in helping to discover what lies in our water.
Scientists even incorporated education professionals and public places such as senate buildings. A grand total of twelve teachers were brought into this project to help students learn about salt conductivity in our water supplies, in which they work-shopped their data, discovering what it truly meant. The overall outcome of this scientific find can be found at their website. Which is open to the public. "www.sr.lovotocs.sr.unh.edu."