Goshen College students in an Ecology and Evolution class sample macroinvertebrates from the Elkhart River, with the help of community volunteers, as biological indicators of the quality of the water.
Photos by Alysha Landis.

Goshen College’s alma mater proclaims, “There’s a spot in Indiana where the leafy Maple grows; Tis our dear and glorious Parkside where the Elkhart River flows.”

But how much e-coli and lawn fertilizer are also flowing in the river, and is it safe?

Some Goshen College students are collaborating with community members to monitor the water quality of the nearby Elkhart River – and the students are using their new iPads to do it.

On Oct. 1, Associate Professor of Biology Ryan Sensenig’s Ecology and Evolution class launched a five-week collaborative project between a local company, Hertzler Systems Inc., the Goshen College Informatics and Biology departments and members of the Community Clean Water Project to test the water quality of the Elkhart River. With their new iPads, the students can enter the water quality data they collect at the river directly into their tablets using an app designed by Goshen College sophomore Jacob Shetler during an internship with Hertzler Systems, Inc.

After being entered into the app, the water quality data is automatically uploaded to a server on campus where a software program, donated by Hertzler Inc., compiles the data and presents trends, means and some basic analysis. These data include everything from chemical results to counts of invertebrate species. Students of Sensenig’s biology class will each design a website that communicates these data to the public. The best designs will be selected by Hertzler Systems staff to be implemented with the help of a Goshen College informatics class in the spring.

“This will eventually allow anyone using a mobile device to access weekly water data in real-time in a user friendly way that promotes increased awareness,” said Sensenig.

Out in the field, students sampled macroinvertebrates from the Elkhart River as biological indicators of the quality of the water. Volunteers from the Community Clean Water Project helped the students gather samples. The volunteer group, which was formed about four years ago by Sensenig and local environmental educator Melissa Kinsey, adopted the statewide monitoring program of Hoosier Riverwatch at a local level. The group is made up of community volunteers who monitor the river year-round.

“Our goal is to learn about the quality of the water and to educate interested citizens,” said Kinsey. “We’re interested in creation care, protecting the earth’s resources, being aware of the human impact on the quality of the water and the safety of the water.

With the introduction of the iPad for all first-year students at Goshen College, Sensenig has adjusted the clean water project. “With the iPads, it allows us to emphasize to students the importance of using technology to communicate scientific findings to the public,” he said. “And having the ability to type in data right in the field is a compelling way of using the iPad.”

For many students in the class, this project is an introduction to citizen science. People who fish or boat on the Elkhart River, live along the river or are just concerned citizens will soon easily be able to access the latest information about the river’s water quality.

“It’s important for the students to be able to take everything they learned from class and figure out what are the most important things to communicate, and what is the best way to communicate it in a user-friendly way?” said Sensenig. “It’s not just enough to know the science, but they need to be able to engage the community.”

Evan Miller, of Hertzler Systems, Inc., which has donated thousands of dollars of time and software to the project, said, “At a personal level, as a member of my local community, it feels great to participate in something that brings together town, gown, and business for the good of a community asset, our river.”

– By Alysha Landis

Maple Scholars gives students the opportunity to participate in independent research projects alongside Goshen College faculty of various disciplines. Each scholar is paired with a faculty member who serves as both colleague and supervisor.

Paul Keim & Marcelle Al-Zoughbi

Marcelle Al-Zoughbi, an elementary education/special education and TESOL double major from Bethlehem, Palestine worked with Professor of Bible and Religion Paul Keim on a project to envision, develop and institute a program of Arabic Studies that embodies the unique ethos of our Anabaptist heritage and equips students for further study and service in the Arab world.

David Housman & Philip Bontrager

Philip Bontrager, a junior informatics major from Goshen, Ind., worked with Professor of Mathematics David Housman on a project developing visualizations to assist in better understanding notions of fairness and their interrelationships in resource allocation problems.

Lisa Horst & Deb Brubaker

Lisa Horst, a 2012 graduate who majored in music education from Goshen, Ind., worked with Professor of Music Debra Brubaker on a project archiving and digitizing field recordings that Professor Emeritus Mary Oyer recorded between 1969 and 1987.

Caleb Hostetler & Kent Palmer

Caleb Hostetler, a senior informatics major from Souderton, Pa., worked with Professor of Informatics Kent Palmer on developing a higher education application for mobile technology.

Rhiannon Jones, a senior biology major from Lafayette, Ind., worked with Professor of Physics Carl Helrich on a project attempting to establish the form of cholesterol structures on phospholipid (biological) membranes experimentally.

Jenna Nofziger & Stan Grove & Nathaniel Tann

Jenna Nofziger, a junior molecular biology/biochemistry major from Archbold, Ohio, and Nathaniel Tann, a 2012 graduate with majors in biology and psychology from East Petersburg, Pa., worked with Professor of Biology Stan Grove on a project generating algal biomass inexpensively enough to allow the derived biofuel to compete with petroleum-based fuels.

Beth Martin Birky & Grace Parker

Grace Parker, a senior English and Bible and religion double major from Wichita, Kan., worked with Professor of English Beth Martin Birky on researching the theme of social justice in the work of Virginia Woolf.

Rebecca Weaver & Lauren Stoltzfus

Lauren Stoltzfus, a senior English writing major from Lancaster, Pa., and Rebecca Weaver, a 2012 graduate with a major in psychology from Harleysville, Pa., worked with Professor of English Ann Hostetler on a project collecting research data on the pedagogy of multicultural literature studied at the college level.

Mara Swartzendruber & Andy Ammons

Mara Swartzendruber, a senior biology major from Albuquerque, N.M., worked with Assistant Professor of Biology Andrew Ammons studied stress on honeybees.

Bob Yoder & Leanna Teodosio

Leanna Teodosio, a junior sociology and Bible and religion major from Lima, Ohio, worked with Campus Pastor Bob Yoder on a project exploring how Goshen College can better support the faith development of students.

Emily Trapp & Bev Lapp

Emily Trapp, a senior music and communications major from Canby, Ore., worked with Professor of Music Beverly K. Lapp on a project analyzing the content of several popular piano methods to determine the balance of creative work and effectiveness of these within the curriculum for developing pianists, with hopes of producing an online resource that summarizes this research to aid piano teachers.

John D. Roth & Kate Yoder

Kate Yoder, a junior art and English writing major from Elkhart, Ind., worked with Professor of History John D. Roth on a project compiling an in-depth bibliography of sources related to Christian martyrdom, the “Martyrs Mirror,” and costly discipleship in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition in preparation for an August international consultation called “Bearing Witness: A New ‘Martyrs Mirror’ for the 21st Century?”

The college’s Maple Scholars program began in 1998. Unlike undergraduate research projects at many larger universities where students work only with graduate students, students in Maple Scholars work with professors who can answer their questions and guide them in their research and learning. Students also get the chance to share their work together in a colloquium each Friday and engage other students across disciplines.

– By Anna Ruth

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.