Penn State Researchers Team Up With High School Students On Water Quality Monitoring Network

By on July 8, 2015
TeenShale, a part of the Shale Network, collected samples and recorded data from Black Moshannon State Park. (Credit: Matt Carroll)

TeenShale, a part of the Shale Network, collected samples and recorded data from Black Moshannon State Park. (Credit: Matt Carroll)


Pennsylvania high school students and teachers have teamed up with Pennsylvania State University researchers to establish a water quality monitoring network, according to a press release from the university.

The TeenShale Network monitors Black Moshannon Creek for environmental impacts, primarily from the nearby Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations. The network aims to determine the stream’s baseline characteristics so future impacts can be examined in comparison with its current state. Last year, the project was limited to a single site; this year, the network added two new sites closer to drilling wells.

Eighth- through 10th-graders working on the network are able to use professional monitoring equipment provided by Penn State’s Earth and Environmental Systems Institute in exchange for the data, which are used in a research database. Temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH sensors are used alongside Sontek FlowTrackers to measure the health of the stream.

Top image: TeenShale, a part of the Shale Network, collected samples and recorded data from Black Moshannon State Park. (Credit: Matt Carroll)

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