Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts students Emily Smith of Cabot and Minnie Lee of Charleston were named state winners in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and qualified for the national competition.
Smith and Lee qualified as a team for the Arkansas competition — which is sponsored by the Arkansas Water Environment Association — through the West Central Regional Science Fair at ASMSA in February. Their project focused on the identification of algae, ostracods and zooplankton in three springs in the Hot Springs National Park.
The national competition is sponsored by Water Environment Federation and Xylem. It gathers imaginative young minds from all over the world who are interested in water and sustainability issues. It draws competitors from more than 30 countries.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state competition was held virtually. Judging for the national competition was also held virtually. Winners of the national competition will be announced June 20.
Smith and Lee said they were surprised when they found out they had won the state prize. Both received separate emails notifying them of their achievement. Lee saw the email before Smith and texted Smith a screenshot of it with the good news.
“I was shocked,” Lee said. “I didn’t expect it. I was a little bit skeptical because it had been so long before we heard anything about it. I was excited because we didn’t expect to move on from the state level.”
Smith said she was surprised as well. “I didn’t expect to move past the qualifying round,” she said. “I’m pretty excited about going on to the national competition. It’s cool that we get to do that.”
Lee and Smith’s project was the result of research they conducted as part of ASMSA’s Research in the Park program. In partnership with the National Park Service, ASMSA students conduct various research projects in Hot Springs National Park that benefit the park. It was the second year the two teamed up to complete a project in the national park.
By studying the algae and ostracods, a class of Crustacea sometimes called a seed shrimp, the students were able to determine the streams’ connectivity. Changes in stream temperatures as well as tourist activities contribute to changes of species living in the streams. Their research found an almost 30-degree reduction in temperature in one stream that has allowed ostracods to begin living in the stream.
Dr. Lindsey Waddell, a geoscience instructor at ASMSA, served as Smith and Lee’s project adviser. She said their work helped identify a rare species of ostracod living in the park. It is the second year in a row an ASMSA student discovered an unknown ostracod living in the park’s streams. Besides the two ASMSA projects, there has been no published work documenting ostracods living in Hot Springs National Park since 1804, Waddell said.
“I could not be happier that Minnie and Emily’s work was chosen as the state winner as I feel they definitely deserve recognition for this project,” Waddell said. “I have been very lucky to work with them through the Research in the Park capstone. They are both exceptionally strong students who together make an even stronger team.
“They are both independent and hard workers as well as excellent writers, so they have honestly needed little from me over the past two years. I am hoping that their work will inspire future Research in the Park students to pick up where they left off. Although Minnie and Emily have graduated, the collective mission of Research in the Park to expand the scientific understanding of the understudied national park at our doorstep will continue.”
Lee and Smith initially worked on individual projects at the beginning of their junior year but soon realized it would be better if they teamed up. They completed one project during their junior year which led to an expanded project during their senior year.
“Having a partner like Minnie is really valuable,” Smith said. “It’s good to be able to hear different opinions and viewpoints than my own. I think she’s a great partner. She is easy to get along with and always cooperative and helpful.”
Lee said having a partner was invaluable because of the amount of lab work and research in the park required for the project. Working as a team allowed for a more flexible schedule.
“Emily is actually the leader of our team,” Lee said. “It’s crucial to get along in research and to be respectful of each other. Emily is someone whose work ethic I’ve admired.”
Lee also praised Waddell for her support and help while working on the project.
“Dr. Waddell has really helped me garner an interest in research,” Lee said. “Because I’ve had her as a mentor — although this project has been challenging at times — I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my research skills.”
Smith agreed with her research partner about having Waddell as a mentor for the project.
“I probably couldn’t have asked for a better adviser,” Smith said. “She is always super willing to help her students. She was there to give advice and answer questions. She puts a lot of value into her students and their projects. She was often staying at school until 10 at night to help us finish.”