Outdoor learning at Burke Lake shows students science career pathways

Down at the shores of Burke Lake, seventh-grade students squeal in delight and disgust. They've found a collection of invertebrates under a rock. Their field interpreter—a George Mason University student—gathers them around to take a closer look and identify what they see. Nearby, another group of students takes water samples. Another group measures the soil compaction around the mossy roots of a tree.

For some of these Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) students, it’s the first time they’ve been to Burke Lake. Some didn’t know it existed at all, despite being in their proverbial backyards. But through the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) program, FCPS students get the chance to do hands-on learning outdoors.

Developed as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program and Chesapeake Bay Program, MWEEs increase environmental literacy through hands-on experience in indoor and outdoor classrooms. Since 2010, George Mason environmental science and policy professor Cynthia Smith has worked with FCPS and Fairfax County Park Authority to develop and support her students in delivering MWEEs in waterfront park locations around the county. In her role as outreach director for the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC), Smith integrates PEREC aquatic ecology research into these programs.

The program is an extension of the FCPS seventh-grade life science curriculum, bringing students out of their classroom labs and into the field to gain hands-on experience. With support and guidance from field interpreters, the students move through different stations to learn about the history of development around the lake, test the water chemistry, investigate invertebrate habitats, measure soil erosion and compaction, and examine biodiversity living amongst the trees and leaf litter to gather a holistic look at the health of their local watershed. The data they record during their field excursion is further investigated in the classroom.  

“We’re looking at the human impact on the land and how it impacts the water,” Smith explained. “But instead of just hearing a lecture on it, the students are immersed in the environment. When you see it, touch it, measure it, and talk about why you’re doing it, then the learning is just so much more impactful, and you become more invested in protecting and preserving it.”

Smith recruits George Mason students to serve as the field interpreters, giving them an opportunity to practice their science communication skills in a real-world setting. “They’re explaining challenging concepts to young learners, encouraging them to engage with the data they’ve collected, helping them learn through inquiry," Smith explained. “I’ve seen so many students evolve into incredible leaders and communicators through their experiences as field interpreters.”

“I had never had a job where I had to speak in front of people, and I really couldn’t do it at all when I started,” said Matt Helfinstein, BS Biology ’12. He worked as a field interpreter throughout his time at George Mason. “But I was able to develop those science communication skills and get much more comfortable with it.”

Now, Helfinstein is camp director of Fish and Explore—a company that offers guided outdoor experiences and summer camps—and continues to work with Smith as the MWEE site manager. Helfinstein met the owner of the company while serving as a field interpreter, which opened the door to his future career.

"We have students go into policy, environmental science, science communication, as well as working for our partners like the Park Authority or Fish and Explore,” said Smith. “Translating science to the public opens up so many opportunities for them that they never thought possible.”

It’s an important opportunity for the middle school students as well. “This is the first time some of them have ever met a college student working outdoors in a park setting,” Smith explained. Because of this, she has her field interpreters introduce themselves not just as George Mason students, but with their expected career paths: freshwater ecologist, marine biologist, environmental scientist, etc.

“They hear about all these different career fields and areas of study in science, they get excited. They routinely ask field interpreters what they have to do to pursue that same career,” said Smith.

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement put forth a new goal in 2025 of increasing elementary, middle, and high school student participation in MWEEs, working toward 75% of public school students enrolled in a school district with MWEEs by 2040.

In 2016, Smith and her collaborators in FCPS and the Fairfax County Park Authority received a Jack Wood Award for Town-Gown Relations in the category of Partnership Initiative for their work. Ten years ago, they had served over 25,000 seventh graders throughout the county. Now, Smith estimates PEREC outreach programs reach more than 10,000 students a year. And more and more, she’s seeing those students enroll at George Mason and become field interpreters themselves.

“Sometimes just seeing one cool thing is life-changing,” Smith said.