Oyster Doctors: High School Workshop
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Students dissect oysters in the Oyster Doctors workshop at the Annual High School Marine Science Symposium hosted by Northeastern University.
Image Credit: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University.
Image Credit: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University.
Description: What are those slimy, squishy invertebrates? This workshop includes an oyster dissection and introduces students to shellfish, their unique biology, and their challenges to survival in diverse marine environments. Students start by collecting phenotype data and observing oysters for infection by macroparasites. Then, students dissect an oyster collected from the US Atlantic or Gulf coasts and locate such anatomy such as the gills, digestive tract, and gonads! Students will then learn how to measure ocean salinity using a refractometer and discuss how oysters can adapt to rapidly changing marine habitats.
A student holds a dissected oyster that is infected with mud blister worm parasites.
Image Credit: Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University. |
I designed this workshop and have presented it during:
Northeastern Global News wrote an article about the 2024 Marine Science Symposium and featured the workshop here! Photos from the workshop were also featured here in the 2023 press coverage. Workshop Presentation Materials: All workshop materials are available for public use. The workshop is designed to run for 20-30 students and takes ~ 1 hour to facilitate. (1) The presentation for the workshop is available here. (2) The student participation sheet is available here.
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Students shuck oysters during Oyster Doctors: COSA 2025
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The Lotterhos lab introducing ourselves to students before the workshop!
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Skype-A-Scientist
I began outreach with the Skype-A-Scientist program in the spring of 2024 to share my research with K-12 students remotely! During these 60-minute visits, I meet with students and describe what a PhD student in marine science does, how I became a scientist, and present a synopsis of my current research. Prior to the visit, I also distribute a resources worksheet to teachers with activities to help their students get excited about the visit (see below).
I've recently had Skype-A-Scientist visits to:
I've recently had Skype-A-Scientist visits to:
- Beverly Elementary 5th graders (3 classes)
- Lighthouse Connections Academy 6th, 7th, and 8th graders
Coastal Massachusetts High School Visits
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The Northeastern University Marine Science Center often hosts local high school students from the North Shore of Boston and other coastal Massachusetts regions (Lynn, Swampscott, Revere, Marblehead, Nahant, etc). I have presented my research and pathway to becoming a marine scientist as well as taken students on lab tours through the Lotterhos Lab molecular space.
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Animal Science: K-5 Lessons
I served in City Year AmeriCorps at the San Jose/Silicon Valley, CA site from 2020-2021. While there, I primarily taught 4-5th grade STEM lessons. I also developed an 8-lesson curriculum about animal science suitable for K-5 remote enrichment. These lessons are designed to be presented over a 45-minute period and have activities that can be tailored more to specific age groups within K-5.
The eight lessons include the following topics: Introduction to Animal Systems, Deep Sea, Desert, Arctic and Tundra, Coral Reefs, Natural History Museums and Preservation (featured slides below), Predation, and Conservation.
All slideshows, videos, and activities are available for public use here.
The eight lessons include the following topics: Introduction to Animal Systems, Deep Sea, Desert, Arctic and Tundra, Coral Reefs, Natural History Museums and Preservation (featured slides below), Predation, and Conservation.
All slideshows, videos, and activities are available for public use here.