Worm Lab Students Bring Their Research to Miller Place High School
After four semesters of research, students from the Sustainability Studies Earthworm Ecotoxicology Lab under the mentorship of Sharon Pochron were ready to discuss their findings with the public.
The students had investigated the effect of crumb rubber athletic fields on earthworm and soil microbial health. They’d asked if plants could translocate enough glyphosate into soil to harm earthworms. They’d quantified the effects of Roundup on earthworms and pinpointed environmental factors that influence earthworm sensitivity to Roundup. They’d made posters explaining their work and conclusions and spent a lot of time honing their oral presentations.
After presenting their work at the SAC during the reception for Roadshow of Resistance, at Earthstock, and at URECA among all the other student researchers, they felt prepared for a tougher audience. When the Science Club from Miller Place High School invited them to describe their research, students from the Worm Lab jumped at the chance.
MPHS students asked SBU students how dangerous Roundup is to people, what alternates exist to the popular herbicide, and what its like to be a student at SBU. The teachers asked about the different kinds of environmental majors available to students. Dr. Pochron baked cookies with worms in them, some with glyphosate and some without, and fed them to the high schoolers as an interactive demonstration of the lethal effects of glyphosate consumption (jk).