Southwestern College science professor Rick Cowlishaw and department chair Pat Ross will share their knowledge of aquatic life as they tour several different Kansas towns this summer.
On Thursday, Cowlishaw will be in Iola at the Flew-harty-Powell Annex, 211 East St. at 10 a.m. The program, “Life in a Drop of Water: A Microscopic Aquatic Safari,” is intended for kids age 8-14.
“We want to get kids excited about biology and how cool science can be,” Cowlishaw said in a press release. “This will expand their understanding about what life’s about. Aquatic systems are the most important; there are so many things in the water that can’t be seen.”
The two professors plan on showing how many creatures actually live in a single drop of water. Equipped with a microscope and camera projection system, Ross and Cowlishaw will watch microbes carrying on in their busy lives and become familiar with organisms such as ciliates, flagellates, amoebae, microalgae, water fleas, and rotifers.
They will likely come across a few million bacteria along the way.
Individual microscopes will also be available for kids to make their own investigation of local microscopic pond life.
Cowlishaw is traveling through eastern Kansas while Ross is in western Kansas. Today, Cowlishaw hosted a show in Chanute.
Southwestern College is a private institution granting undergraduate and graduate degrees and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. More than 1,900 students attend classes at the main Winfield campus, at five professional studies sites in Kansas and Oklahoma, or online around the world.
Library sets up microscopic aquatic show
