New Columbus State, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper partnership expands students’ hands-on lab skills

October 11, 2023

On Oct. 10, Columbus State University’s College of Letters & Sciences unveiled a new collaborative space in Lenoir Hall dedicated to improving the water quality of the region’s waterways. It represents a new partnership with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and gives students, faculty and community members a direct way to participate in the organization’s Neighborhood Water Watch (NWW) program.

NWW is a community-driven program designed to improve water quality in area waterways and to protect human health. It furthers CKR’s mission to educate, advocate and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River — including its lakes, tributaries and watershed. It seeks to restore and conserve these waterways’ ecological health for the people and wildlife that depend on the river system. It also recognizes the important ecosystem functions these waterways provide throughout the region and planet.

Through the Neighborhood Water Watch, volunteers collect water samples and bring them to CRK’s laboratories like its new joint space on the Columbus State Main Campus. There, samples are promptly analyzed for turbidity (a liquid’s relative clarity), conductivity (a liquid’s ability to conduct or transmit heat, electricity or sound), and the presence of harmful bacteria. CRK addresses any indicated threats by working with local governments, neighborhood groups and local leaders to stop public health threats and restore local streams’ safety.

“I’m excited about how this partnership will sharpen our students’ skills and knowledge in conservation, ecology and laboratory diagnostics, as well as expose them to mentors and careers in these fields,” said Dr. Annice Yarber-Allen, dean of the College of Letters & Sciences. “It’s always helpful to our students’ academic development when they can see how their studies have practical applications in their chosen fields.”

At the laboratory space unveiling, Columbus State President Stuart Rayfield also lauded the advantages this joint venture presents for students.

“Our partnership with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is one of those perfect opportunities in higher education where we get to take theory and what’s being taught in the classroom and marry it with what’s going in our community,” she said. “As a result of this partnership, we’ll have some Chattahoochee Riverkeepers on our campus we will have some of our students in the river.”

The laboratory operates under the auspices of the college’s Department of Biology. Working in the lab will place students pursuing biology, secondary biology education and natural sciences degrees at the forefront of ecological testing — providing them with experience running laboratory testing, operating sophisticated tools like IDEXX® Colilert® equipment, and accessing industry internships.

 

“We are very excited about our new partnership with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper because it will provide a fantastic opportunity for our students to conduct collaborative research and gain hands-on lab and field experience with CRK water specialists,” said Dr. Michael Newbrey, a senior lecturer in the Biology Department. “The dedicated lab space for CRK demonstrates the commitment CSU has to the partnership and in the training of students for the study and conservation of water resources.”

Two-time Columbus State alumna Ashley Desensi ’17, ’19, a technical program specialist who now oversees the CSU-based Chattahoochee Riverkeeper lab, best explained opportunities for students working with this project.

“This project is allowing our students to get out there, get their hands dirty and then come into the lab to do the lab work,” she said.

One of those students, senior biology major Aidan Rush (pictured), agreed — pointing out that he’s benefiting from putting classroom lectures into practice in the field.

“This is the most hands-on I’ve been in a lab. It’s neat to get out, put on some waders, get dirty and start doing cool things like electrofishing,” the Newnan native said. “I’m applying what I’m learning, and I’m encouraged to ask questions along the way.”

Newbrey pointed out that this testing experience will open doors for undergraduate and graduate students alike to present their research at regional, national and international meetings and conferences. Those presentations will be a direct result of the field-based and lab-based experiences students are having through the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper partnership.

“Our students are out there collecting data in real time and in partnership with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper,” he explained. “They’re informing Chattahoochee Riverkeeper what's going on with particular fish in the water channels we have around here — species like redbreast sunfish, bluegill sunfish, yellow bullhead catfish and largemouth bass, which runs through the central part of Columbus, Roaring Branch Creek and Lake Oliver.”

That research foundation is inspiring students like senior biology major and Kennesaw native Emily Marin to consider a career centered around research like this.

“I didn’t think I would have any research-based exposure like this when I started college,” Marin (pictured) said. “There aren’t many schools like [Columbus State] where you can get opportunities like this — especially with [instructors like] Dr. Newbrey, who is helping us develop our critical-thinking skills and research knowledge.”

The partnership also brings vital testing equipment and services to the Chattahoochee Valley for student and community environmentalists alike to access. Along with Columbus State students and faculty, this partnership also allows community members in Columbus, Phenix City and the surrounding region to help regularly monitor local waterways as NWW volunteers.

“We’re grateful for this partnership with CSU and the opportunity to engage with students, faculty and the local community in protecting and stewarding our waterways,” said Henry Jacobs, deputy director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. “The Chattahoochee River and its tributaries are the lifeblood of Columbus, Phenix City and the surrounding region, and we want to do our part to ensure there’s enough clean water in the river now and for future generations.”

The Neighborhood Water Watch program is entering its 13th year and includes more than 200 monitoring sites throughout the Chattahoochee River watershed, which includes the river itself plus creeks and tributaries. Prior to this partnership, Jacobs noted, the nearest NWW lab was in Chattahoochee Riverkeepers’ Middle Chattahoochee outreach office in LaGrange. CRK also has NWW labs in metro Atlanta and Gainesville.

Media contacts:

• Michael Tullier, APR, executive director of strategic communication + marketing, Columbus State University, 706.507.8729, mtullier@columbusstate.edu 
• Henry Jacobs, deputy director, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, 404.805.5403, hjacobs@chattahoochee.org 

Related news coverage:
Meet the ‘tenacious’ Chattahoochee Riverkeeper who’s cleaned up Columbus water (Nov. 28, 2023, Ledger-Enquirer, Georgia Public Broadcasting)
New partnership between CSU & Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to improve water quality testing (Oct. 11, 2023, Ledger-Enquirer)
Columbus State, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper partner to keep local waters clean (Oct. 10, 2023, WTVM-TV)