Guest post by Brad Richardson.—As educators and researchers, one of the most important things we can do is strive to build a network of communication with the general public. Research is too often performed and presented to fellow peers without any real connection with the public – one of our most important stakeholders!

So, in 2017, an opportunity came about that allowed me to work with a local high school biology class on a long term environmental monitoring/study that they were hoping to start. The class identified a nearby stream that they wanted to monitor for water quality and invited me to work them to provide guidance on the biomonitoring of the stream using macroinvertebrates like those in the picture below.

Of course, I jumped at the chance to get back into the stream and play with bugs! Over the next two years, these students build a wealth of data and learned crucial skills including study design, macroinvertebrate sampling and identification techniques, how to use biomonitoring indices, and how to formulate testable hypotheses.

I am very proud to say that this and related research with the class has led to numerous special recognition awards for these students at their regional and state science fairs! Several students have also continued to pursue the sciences after high school!

It is through small, impromptu partnerships like this that we can begin to better educate the general public about science and our own research. When I was first afforded this opportunity, it was simply to teach the students how to sample and group macroinvertebrates but it has blossomed into a multi-year project that has allowed me to practice my teaching and communication skills while providing students the opportunity to engage with science in a way that they may not have been able to before!