The 1987 "Boatload of Knowledge" - Graduate Environmental Research and Education on the Ohio River

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1989-12

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Research Projects

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Abstract

A modern version of the 1826 Boatload of Knowledge journey down the Ohio River was accomplished in the summer of 1987 with a 965 km, 15-day, graduate education and research trip on the river from Pittsburgh, PA, to Louisville, KY. Nine graduate students from throughout the Ohio River Basin were involved in an educational program that involved individual research projects and project planning and logistics. Eighteen faculty from 11 different colleges and universities and 33 professionals from various agencies, industries, and organizations participated in lectures and other presentations for the students along the journey. A total of 173 people were involved in some aspect of the 15-day trip. Emphasis was on the ecological and environmental issues of the river and its valley, the historical aspects of human cultures, and the use of natural resources along the river. Research results included two research studies each on the sediment and water quality of the river along its length, a census on bird populations along the river, and an assessment of tree damage caused by air pollution in the Ohio Valley. Educational results included a much better understanding of the logistics and advantages of combined research-graduate education field courses along a major waterway.

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Author Institution: School of Natural Resources and Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education, The Ohio State University and Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University

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The Ohio Journal of Science. v89, n5 (December, 1989), 118-127