Career Exploration Field Trips - WES, 2023-2024

These hands-on field trips will introduce your students to three professionals working in careers related to the water industry. Students will learn from them about their day-to-day job activities, skill sets needed, and the joys and challenges encountered on the way. As part of this learning, students will also participate in hands-on, science inquiry activities that demonstrate aspects of each career, and may lead to increased awareness of individual aptitudes and career interests.

All field trips are two hours long and take place within our beautiful wetland and forest environment.

Grades: 6-12

Presentations and Activities may include:

• The Pipe Challenge: a professional explains infiltration and inflow in sanitary and stormwater systems and students build model systems with pvc pipes
• Plant Identification: a professional explains the use of plant identification in natural resource management and students practice identifying wetland plants
• Drone Technology for Natural Resource Management: a professional demonstrates the use of drones and students examine mapping data
• Water Quality Investigation: a professional explains why water testing is important and students measure temperature and pH in the wetland
• Scope it out: a professional demonstrates the use of robots for inspecting sanitary and stormwater pipes and students operate the robot

Clackamas Water Environment Services Sponsorship

These programs are available to all, but thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, we are able to offer a limited number of free Career Exploration Field Trips to schools located within their district; please see .

Leaky pipes and faulty connections in wastewater pipes contribute excess stormwater to the treatment system, which could overwhelm the capacity at wastewater treatment plants. This is an important issue that water industry professionals are working to resolve, in order to ensure that people and the environment are not negatively impacted. Using PVC pipes and connectors, students will use the criteria provided to construct a simulated storm water and sanitary sewer system, with the objective of minimizing the infiltration and inflow, as measured by the volume of water collected from their system. They will follow an engineering design feedback loop process to better understand and ultimately solve the problem.

Many scientists who work in outdoor environments use technology to assist them with their work. Knowing how to use this technology, along with the vital skills of making careful observations and keeping detailed records, are important skills to master.

In this activity, students will use computers to collect data on plant life at the ELC: identifying the plants, recording characteristics of the habitat where the plant is growing, as well as physical characteristics of the plant. Students will then be tasked with evaluating their observations and making inferences about the plants’ needs for sun/shade and water, and their role in providing food and shelter for wildlife.

Drone technology has revolutionized how natural areas can be observed and monitored. In this activity, drone operators will demonstrate flying a drone and discuss with students some of the amazing ways that this technology is being used to improve our understanding and management of natural resource areas such as wetlands.

Clean drinking water is essential for public health. Polluted water can make humans and wildlife sick. Water quality testing enables people to assess the health of water and take remedial action if necessary. Water quality professionals, like Source Control Specialists and lab analysts work to ensure that water is safe for humans and wildlife.

Healthy watersheds and clean drinking water require well-maintained sanitary and stormwater systems. Experts use robots to inspect pipes and identify places that need repair. In this activity, a water professional will demonstrate the use of a robot in pipe inspection and students will have a chance to operate the robot.

Middle school students creating a sanitary and stormwater system in the Pipe Challenge presentation.

A representative from Ash Creek Forest Management shares how drones are used in managing forests in the area.

Thank you Clackamas Water Environment Services for supporting career exploration field trips at the ELC!

Thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, we are able to offer a limited number of free Career Exploration Field Trips to schools located within their district. Please see .

• Fall 2023: September 11 - November 17, 2023
• Spring 2024: April 1 - June 14, 2024

Field trips are two hours long and typically run 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• We can host one class of up to 30 students at a time.

You may stay for lunch. During the field trip, we can store the lunches inside one of our classrooms. After the field trip, students can eat their lunches in the outdoor amphitheater, nearby grassy area, or on the deck of the classroom.

We ask that you provide chaperones to help with class management at a ratio of 1 chaperone per 8 children. Chaperones are expected to participate, assist with student behavior, and help keep them safe.

Field trips are held entirely outside and happen rain or shine. However, if the weather is extreme, we will contact you to reschedule.

For more information, contact Michelle Scholz, ELC Instructor, [email protected].

“This trip was amazing! So informative about different career opportunities. Will definitely recommend for next year’s AVID group to check this out.”

“This was a beautiful trip! The students had so much fun. They asked questions I never thought about and had a true interest in what the speakers had to say. The students were engaged and respectful in all activities, this is a great trip for any AVID Class.”

“My 7th & 8th grade AVID students were inspired by the thoughtful, hands-on environmental career education provided by the Environmental Learning Center. Currently, 8th graders are completing a college and career education research project, and they have mentioned numerous times the field trip we took to ELC this past fall and how much they learned about pipelines, flying drones, and the importance of infrastructure when it comes to clean water. I have two students in particular who are already thinking about classes they can take in high school next year, and potential career education paths that they learned about during our visit to ELC.”

Host or Publisher Environmental Learning Center