Summer Program Highlights

Hudson River Ecology Curriculum and Course (HRECC)

In July, CURB staff welcomed the second cohort of young adults participating in the Hudson River Ecology Curriculum and Course (HRECC). Participants were Yonkers students ranging from high school juniors to college freshmen who studied, discovered, and explored Hudson River ecology in the river, our marsh, and waterfront park. Tying all of the lessons together, the theme of ecology laced through different subjects ranging from sediment exploration to oyster survival rate research. All of the thematic lessons include scientific and engineering practices, such as: asking questions, constructing explanations and using scientific tools to collect and analyze data. To learn more about the Hudson River Ecology Course and Curriculum, please visit the HRECC page on our website.

All students attended the program on scholarship with the generous support of the Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation. 

Teaching the Environment: Discovering Urban Landscapes and Watersheds

CURB hosted its 8th year of “Teaching the Environment: Discovering Urban Landscapes and Watersheds”, a teacher professional development opportunity. Over the course of 5 days, teachers and educators participated in a series of sessions focusing on the Hudson River estuary, watersheds, gardening, birdwatching, green infrastructure, environmental justice and much more. Teachers spend time as learners in a particular experience, and then have larger discussions about pedagogy and implications for their classrooms. Teachers can utilize what they have learned to help further develop the environmental studies and environmental science components of their work with children and teens. 

A special thank you to our partners at the Sarah Lawrence College Child Development Institute and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Yonkers Blue Team

This summer the Yonkers Blue Team program provided an intensive experience for Yonkers Public School students to engage in issues surrounding water quality in their local waterways and conduct research into the causes and severity of that pollution.

Ten students were hired for a 6-week paid summer internship focused on field and lab research and community outreach. New for this year, we also hired 2 past Blue Team graduates to serve as mentors, and an SLC Summer Science student provided leadership to all.

The Blue Team’s research focused on tracking fecal indicator bacteria in the Hudson and it’s relation to rain events and Combined Sewer Overflow at our neighboring Pump Station. As in prior years they found a clear correlation between wet weather and increases in bacteria in the river, and that in dry periods the Hudson is generally swimmable or close to it using EPA criteria.

The Blue Team also met for weekly educational and life-skills activities including communications training and a resume building workshop with the help from Sarah Lawrence Communications and Career Services Departments, and trips to the Science Barge and the campus Science Building to see qPCR research in action thanks to Dr. Hersh and her Summer Science students. 

To share their research the Blue Team organized a community outreach event that drew about 150 people to CURB. The event featured stations on their research, oysters, knot-tying, tie-dying, painting flower pots and planting seeds, and fish origami. A live DJ, free food, and free kayaking courtesy of the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club made for a truly memorable event. 

The Blue Team is the first program under our new Rising TIDES (Training Innovative and Diverse Environmental Scientists) initiative and is supported by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Office of Environmental Justice.