How are trees in Lowell responding to changes in climate?  What story does the data tell?  These are the two essential questions that every Lowell 6th grader will be answering as they become citizen scientists through a new youth-centered initiative.

The Lowell Public Schools was recently awarded a gift by the Youth and Climate Change Action group through the Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive System-wide change (LEADS) program, of which LP&CT Executive Director, Jane Calvin participated in as a Fellow.  The gift allows for the training of 25 teachers on the new science unit, which will help meet curriculum guidelines addressing climate change.

Students will collect data on the timing of tree bud burst and compare it to historical data of local plant phenology (the study of biological events over time).  They will learn the scientific process as they study the local effects of climate change.  Their findings will be presented during a “Civics Day” event and will be accessible thanks to a UMass Lowell graduate who will be curating the information, also funded by the Youth and Climate Action Group.

Over the years, the environmental educators in our after-school program have done phenology studies in the fall (leaf drop) and spring (bud burst) with K-12 students in over a dozen schools, so our work will complement this program well.  We look forward to seeing the results of the students’ research, and if you want to participate in a similar citizen science project, visit budburst.org or the Harvard Forest phenology webpage.