Center for Environmental Molecular Science
WISE High School Projects WISE 2003-2004 Water Analysis Project WISE Students from Mt. Sinai, Riverhead, Port Jefferson, and Comsewogue participate in the CEMS Outreach program. Marianna A. Kissell, graduate student in the Geosciences Department will be directing the women along with Sharon Pavulaan, WISE Pre- college Coordinator and Mirza Beg, CEMS Education Specialist.
	One of the most fundamental and most frequent environmental analyses made is that of water; however it is also one of the most important. Water impacts every living thing on Earth daily and the health of that water is, in large part, responsible for our own health and quality of life. Safe water implies that a person coming in contact with that water will not be harmed by drinking it, swimming or bathing in it, or by otherwise coming in contact with it. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for setting the acceptable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for a number of contaminants found in water but in order to access its quality, the water must be analyzed according to EPA protocols. These protocols are essential for ensuring that testing is conducted in a consistent and acceptable manner, regardless of who actually carries out the analysis. In addition, water sampling and testing methods are often scrutinized in courts of law when an environmental analysis is challenged.
	The purpose of this project is to provide high school students with the opportunity to conduct real scientific analyses. We will collect Long Island water samples and measure pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen in order to see how these factors affect water quality while learning basic laboratory and field methods for water analysis.

Please send correspondance and questions to:
Andrea Illausky, Administrative Assistant
Center for Environmental Molecular Science
ESS 255
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-2100
TEL: (631) 632-1924
FAX: (631) 632-1937
Last modified January 2006
Comments? E mail
cems@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
Copyright 2003