Page 22 - Talladegan SP 4 Flipbook

SCIENCE MATTERS
W their summer break lounging
hile some college students spent

poolside, several Ronald E. McNair
Scholars from Talladega College delved
into an intensive creekside study.

Alisha Green, Erykah Hampton, Trakelia
Hood, Alexis Scott, Andrea Washington,
and their mentors, Mrs. Gladys M.
Swain and Mr. Carlise Tucker, aided the
Coosa Riverkeeper’s staff in conducting
a five-week study on Choccolocco
Creek. The students helped monitor
the quality of water and determine the
content of contaminants along twelve
sites of the creek within Cleburne,
Calhoun and Talladega counties. The
parameters studied included temperature,
dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids,
pH, turbidity, and Escherichia coli
(E. coli). Previous monitoring project
results indicate that Choccolocco Creek
has had persistently high levels of E.
coli. The students helped measure the
levels of E. coli and pinpoint potential
sources.

“Most of the parameters were in range
for summer water quality while others
did exceed the standards. While most
samplings of E. coli were within the
normal range, others exceeded the
range,” stated Mrs. Swain, an associate
professor of biology. “The numerical
results will be released in the Coosa
Riverkeeper’s report on the project.”

The Ronald E. McNair Scholars
Program is a federal TRIO program
designed to prepare undergraduate
students for doctoral studies through
involvement in research and other
scholarly activities. Participants
are either first-generation college
students with financial need,
or members of a group that is
traditionally underrepresented in
graduate education.
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