KC McGinnis | July 21, 2015

University of Iowa environmental science students are gaining tangible experience measuring water quality outside of the lab this summer.

During a summer Water Quality class at the Lucille A. Carver Mississippi Riverside Environmental Research Station, students go the the Mississippi River to collect samples, catch fish, and learn about water quality up close. LACMRERS director and Water Quality Class director Doug Schnoebelen, who is also a CGRER member, describes the class as an opportunity for students to connect class concepts like dissolved oxygen and pH levels to memorable experiences with physical products.

The class comes amid increasing and public concerns over water quality in Iowa, including high nitrate levels and historic droughts and flooding in recent years. To see the full story from Iowa Now along with a gallery of images from the Water Quality class, click here.