Aqua Fest held at Wayne State College
“How hot is lightening?” “What causes the nice scent that we always can smell before it rains?” Those are just a few of the questions fifth grade students asked at the annual Aqua Fest held at Wayne State College on March 7th & 8th. Three hundred forty students from 15 area schools traveled to the Wayne State College campus for this annual event. Jeff Robins, morning weather anchor for KMEG Channel 14 and Dave Winslow, Meteorologist with KTIV Channel 4, provided the keynote presentations. They each shared excellent information and visuals to help students learn about the basics of weather and the impact water has on all types of weather. Dave also shared footage of his tornado chase.
After the keynote speech, students were able to attend four small group activity sessions of the twelve sessions presented. From these hands-on, interactive lessons, youth gained an awareness of the many uses of water and the importance of using water wisely to conserve this important resource. They learned about the physics and the chemistry of water as well as learning about wastewater treatment methods, handwashing safety, and groundwater contamination. Students were able to work with a variety of professionals from Natural Resources Districts, UNL Extension Service, Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department and the Natural Resources and Conservation Service. A special treat was the presentation from the Winside Biology Group, a team of high school students under the direction of their teacher, Paul Sok.
Sponsors of the event include: Wayne State College, Lewis and Clark Natural Resources District, Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District , Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District, and the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Extension Service. The Cedar County Extension Office coordinates the event with assistance from Dakota, Dixon, Pierce, Thurston, and Wayne County Extension Educators and Dr. Todd Young, Wayne State College, Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics.
For pictures go to: http://dixon.unl.edu/PhotoAquaFest.htm
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