Drone might help Nazareth, teens ID algae entry points into waterways
Audrey Vinton doesn't know a whole lot about algae, but she will in about five weeks.
Vinton,17, who will be a senior at Brighton High School in the fall, is one of 16 students from local high schools to be selected to help in a project run by Nazareth College that is trying to better understand the algae problem and do something about it.
The project, which started a year ago, is expected to have an extra set of eyes this summer from a drone equipped with a special camera that will fly over the Genesee River and Black Creek in Chili.
Photos will be taken in an attempt to identify -— by changes in color in these waterways — points of entry of phosphates and nitrates that fuel algae growth.
A total of 16 high school students — twice the number from last year — have been selected for the program, which begins on Wednesday.
Each student gets a stipend of about $1,200, but it's the experience in learning to do original research that will be the most valuable award.
"When they do research, they have to learn to be leaders," said Nazareth assistant biology professor Padmini Das, who directs this program with visiting assistant chemistry professor Dave Giacherio.
Two Nazareth students are also working on the project to help give it continuity, with samples taken on a seasonal basis at sites that include the mouth of the Genesee and locations near wastewater treatment plants at Avon and Bergen that flow into the Genesee.
Another round of tests will be conducted this month with the help of the students to provide a comprehensive view of the extent and kind of algae in the area.
"We are trying to paint an accurate picture of what the watershed looks like," said Giacherio.
Algae are aquatic organisms of various types and sizes that derive their energy from sunlight.
Most of what is found in Lake Ontario is green algae, which are a nuisance and cause beach closures but generally aren't toxic.
Blue-green algae are a form of photosynthetic bacteria that can release toxins and have been found in many lakes and ponds in the state.
Nitrates and especially phosphates, which feed the algae growth, come from such sources as fertilizer runoff and wastewater treatment plants.
How to control the algae growth in the region has become an intractable problem that Das hopes to help address with what she calls natural remediation systems that involve plants and waste sludge from treatment facilities that absorb phosphates and nitrates.
She plans to experiment with these systems in the next phase of the project.
Larry Peckham, a local businessman who is a member of Nazareth's board of trustees, is credited with having the idea to do the project and has been a major funder of it.
Jacob Murphy, 21, who is a Webster Schroeder High School graduate majoring in biology at Nazareth, has been working on this project year-round
Finding the sources of the algae is a key part in addressing the problem.
"We want to know whether the Rochester area is contributing the majority of the phosphates and nitrates that are causing the algae," said Murphy.
In early May, Das and Giacherio met with a group from RIT about getting the assistance of a drone with a camera.
A collaborative arrangement has not been finalized, but RIT imaging science professor Anthony Vodacek expects that to happen this summer.
"The idea here is you fly the drone up and down the river and see when does the water change color, indicating the growth that would be green algae," said Vodacek.
RIT, he said, used drones last summer to detect blue-green algae in Owasco Lake, near Syracuse, and in Honeoye Lake in Ontario County.
Vodacek is applying the drone development at RIT in its application to water quality.
As a high school student interested in science, Vinton looks at her involvement in the project as a summer of opportunity.
"The program will help me narrow my specific science interest and give hands-on experience," she said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Austin Martinez, 17, another participant in this summer's program who will be a senior at Churchville-Chili High School.
"I thought this will be a good opportunity to explore the field," said Martinez.