May 13, 2010

Matthew Chrishan’s Creature Features

Mr. Chrishan’s creature features assignment works as a wonderful way to reach students. Please, help Matthew expand his lessons to more students.

Every week Mr. Chrishan requires his students to observe and report on the habits of a sea creature. The creature features dwell in a large reef aquarium located in his school’s library and small aquarium housed in the school’s laboratory. This learning exercise inspires his students to answer specific questions while they observe the natural behavior of the warm-water animals.

Matthew Chrishan believes a cold-water touch tank will help his students learn Science with less resistance because hands-on activates promote learning and will assist his students in recognizing that there is much to learn about the creature features our vast oceans including one of Matt’s passions, coral reefs.

Although the existence of cold-water corals is recognized for several hundreds of years, it is only since the early nineties that scientists have realized that large coral reef structures thrive in parts of the ocean that remain unexplored.

“Little is known about cold-water reef propagation,” says Dave Young Treasure of Capital District Marine Aquarist Society (CDMAS). Dave, who is available for marine science educational presentations, explains that more research and experimentation will help solve coral reef issues. “There is very little information about cold-water species available and this is why I introduced the touch tank concept to our club.”

The Capital District Marine Aquarist Society (CDMAS) is a group of reef-oriented individuals that hold informal, monthly meetings at a volunteer’s home.

Shellfish reefs and beds are essential to the health of marine ecosystems, and realistic and cost-effective solutions in conservation, restoration, and management will help regenerate shellfish reefs and aquarium hobbyist like Matt, Dave and the other members of CDMAS have contributed greatly to the understanding of coral reef propagation with educational such as creature features helping students improve understanding as well.

Dave wants Berlin High School of Berlin, New York get a touch tank and work with Matthew Chrishan to disseminate information about cold-water species and reef propagation. Matt has an abundance of knowledge to share and a cold-water touch tank aquarium equipped with a superior filtration system will defiantly advance our knowledge of the cold-water oceans that surround us.