Students show study results

WEST LONG BRANCH- Students of The Stars Challenge will be presenting their analysis of the Whale Pond Brook, which flows through the Monmouth University campus in West Long Branch, to the Environmental Council of the Monmouth County Planning Board.

The Stars Challenge is a science enrichment program for top sixth- through ninth-grade students that is hosted by Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

During the fall semester, students were enrolled in a course titled The Environment and You, where they analyzed the health ofWhale Pond Brook that flows through the Monmouth University campus.

To determine the health of the stream, the students analyzed the macro-invertebrate population, as well as the water for phosphates, nitrates, coliform bacteria, turbidity, pH and dissolved oxygen.

The students found that the stream had high levels of nitrates, phosphates and E. coli along with low levels of aquatic life, according to a press release from Monmouth University.

The students will present the results to the county and also recommend adding buffer vegetation, reducing the level of fertilization and improving education about the environment.

Marc Coe of the Cedar Drive School in Colts Neck taught students in The Environment and You course.

In addition to Coe's class, The Stars Challenge also offered three other classes in the fall, with a total of 58 students from 19 local schools enrolled in the program.

In the winter program, The Stars Challenge offered four courses and had 62 students from 20 local schools.

The Stars Challenge is tapping into a large unmet need for talented students to explore their interests in science and technology, according to the release. The program has grown from one course with 18 students in the winter of 2006 to four courses with 62 students this past winter.

For more information on The Stars Challenge, visit www.StarsChallenge.org or call Margaret Ann Chappell at (732) 530-1061.