Middle Schoolers’ 1,100-tile Mural of Neponset River Watershed Unveiled at the New England Aquarium
BOSTON, MA – Middle school students, teachers, and scientists unveiled a 1,100-tile mural of the Neponset River Watershed at the New England Aquarium today to celebrate a three-year project that sends University of Massachusetts Boston graduate students to work with science teachers in the middle schools of Boston, Dedham and Milton.
The 10-foot by 15-foot mural hanging in the Aquarium’s café depicts the watershed with colorful tiles decorated by students from the three school systems. The mural is one part of the three-year Watershed-Integrated Science Partnership (WISP), supported by a $1.5-million grant from the National Science Foundation.
The WISP program is just one of three major National Science Foundation-funded science education initiatives involving UMass Boston faculty, partner institutions such as the New England Aquarium, and local public schools.
“We know the middle school years represent a critical juncture for our children in the areas of science and math education,” said UMass Boston Chancellor Michael F. Collins, M.D. “The watershed mural reflects the commitment of UMass Boston faculty to bringing challenging, real-world science instruction into the Boston Public Schools, as well as suburban districts such as Milton and Dedham.”
WISP connects UMass Boston faculty and graduate students with middle school science teachers to help bring alive the lessons of earth, life and physical sciences, said UMass Boston Professor Robert Chen, of the Earth, Environment and Ocean Sciences Department, and the grant’s principal investigator.
“The mural represents crossing socio-economic and school district boundaries with a common theme – the local watershed – as a way to learn science,” said Chen, who is a Milton resident. “The mural also integrates science and art, as well as schools and community.”
The mural will be on display for up to six months at the Aquarium, an appropriate site since the Aquarium is a partner in another NSF-funded science education initiative, the New England region’s Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE). The $2.5 million COSEE-New England project is a partnership between the Aquarium, UMass Boston faculty and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, to increase the capacity of ocean scientists to be involved in education and outreach.
"We are excited to build on our COSEE partnership with UMass to help students -- and our visitors -- make connections with the biodiversity of our local watersheds,” said William S. Spitzer, the Aquarium’s vice president for programs and exhibits. “Most people would be surprised at how much life exists in urban and suburban environments. Understanding and appreciating local biodiversity is critical to building an ethic of stewardship for our blue planet.”
Last year, Boston, Dedham and Milton middle school students decorated 1,100 4-inch by 4-inch tiles with paintings of organisms found in the watershed. Getting the tiles from the classroom to the New England Aquarium involved the help of a Quincy businessman who volunteered his services. Bradley Backer, proprietor of the Creating Pottery Place, fired the tiles and assembled the massive mural.
The Neponset River watershed is home to Boston's largest intact estuary, two state designated Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, at least two state champion trees, a storehouse of aquatic biodiversity and a wealth of protected natural areas along its shores, said Ian Cooke, executive director of the Neponset River Watershed Association, which assists WISP with teacher training.
“The Neponset River is a tremendous educational and recreational resource that literally sits in the backyard of its communities,” said Cooke, whose group has worked for 30 years on water quality, public access and preservation projects. “The river is a wonderful place to visit and explore and we're so pleased that UMass Boston and the WISP participants have had the chance to get to know the river and to help raise awareness about it.”
Faculty from UMass Boston have developed significant expertise in the environmental sciences, with a focus on urban and coastal issues. The WISP and COSEE-New England projects bring science faculty and graduate students together with local public school teachers to improve teaching of environmental and marine science.
The Boston Science Partnership, which last fall received $12.5 million in NSF funding, will focus on improved science education in the middle and high schools of the Boston Public Schools. UMass Boston faculty will develop new graduate courses specifically for Boston area science teachers, and help teachers develop science curricula and laboratory activities. UMass Boston is the lead institution on this project, working in collaboration with Northeastern University and Boston Public Schools.
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