Hands-on science brings aquatic careers into focus
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Science came to life in January for 13 Portland high school students as they dissected fish and made fish prints at Oregon State University’s John L. Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory.
“This really helps the students see that when we have people talk about their life path most people didn’t expect to be where they are now.”
The overarching goal of this all-day field trip for students from Alliance at Joseph Meek Technical High School was to explore careers in natural resources and hear from people working in the field. Students heard from facilitators about the varied educational and career paths that led them to research.
“Students got the chance to see the job in action,” said Tanya Kindrachuk, Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H outreach coordinator who collaborates with Alliance at Joseph Meek.
A long-standing partnership
Each term, students at the high school are offered classes ranging from forestry, gardening and bird ecology to boat building. Oregon State University Extension 4-H connects students with field experiences and professionals, showcasing the range of jobs related to natural resources.
Kindrachuk said she often gets questions from students about how she thought about a career in high school.
“This really helps the students see that when we have people talk about their life path most people didn’t expect to be where they are now,” Kindrachuk said. “Maybe they had a different goal in mind or it wasn’t as linear as they thought it would be, and how their different experiences, even if it wasn’t directly related to what they’re doing now, still gave them opportunities.”
Alliance at Joseph Meek has collaborated with Extension 4-H for at least 10 years, according to Kindrachuk, to provide experiences that connect students to the outdoors and to natural resources careers.
Inside Oregon State’s aquatic animal health lab
This term, Extension worked with the school to organize a field trip to the John L. Fryer Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory in Corvallis, a research facility operated by Oregon State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and College of Science.
Students learned about current research projects, animal care, and the monitoring and maintenance required to keep systems running. They toured tank rooms and dry-lab spaces — and even helped feed fish.
In a hands-on lab, students studied fish anatomy through dissections and compared fish structures to human anatomy. They used microscopes to view microorganisms and discussed common parasites currently impacting Oregon rivers. Students also practiced Gyotaku, a traditional Japanese fish-printing art.
“The trip to the Fryer lab created lasting positive memories,” Kindrachuk said.
Previously titled OSU Extension 4-H connects Portland high school students with careers in aquatic science through lab visit
link
