Curiosity at Cold Spring Harbor

As part of Saint David's signature school partnership with the DNA Learning Center of Cold Spring Harbor, eighth graders and their science teachers visit the CSH laboratory, where they interact with DNA scientists. Earlier this week, the boys spent the entire day there.

They began with a hike to the harbor and a nearby beach to collect specimens of plants and invertebrates, practicing field sampling techniques alongside CSH DNA researchers.

Back in the CSH lab, the boys examined, photographed and preserved their specimens for transport back to school, where they are working in Saint David’s own pop-up DNA lab to determine the species of their samples, using DNA barcoding.

They will conduct a research project on the changing ecology of the Cold Spring Harbor ecosystem, comparing the biodiversity of the current ecosystem to documented biodiversity surveys from the 1890s.

What a fantastic learning experience for our boys; and what better way to engage their curiosity!

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