Students conduct freshwater ecology field research in Oglethorpe streams

Lance Wallace
November 15, 2024

Hundreds of students per day tromp across the wooden bridge over Oglethorpe Creek just outside of the Turner Lynch Campus Center oblivious to the amazing ecosystem just beneath their feet.

Biology Adjunct Instructor Dr. Maura Dudley and her students are anything but oblivious as they have taken advantage of this unique waterway to conduct field research and learn first-hand what the study of freshwater ecology entails. There are two streams on campus they study. Most students are familiar with Oglethorpe Creek, which they have nicknamed “OgleCreek,” near the Turner Lynch Campus Center, and the other by the turf field. Dudley’s “Stream Team” has nicknamed the second creek “Petey’s Creek,” although it does not have an official name.

Professor and students conduct research on water samples from creek with a student filming them — Dr. Maura Dudley, biology lecturer, and students Miyah Orr and Hana Soto conduct research on creeks on campus as Sahara Moore records their effort for a documentary film.

“We’ve been conducting stream research for two years in partnership with the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream,” Dudley said. “We have looked at water quality, and we’re looking for macroinvertebrates. It’s a great opportunity to do primary research right here on campus.”

Students find the work so engaging that many continue studying Oglethorpe Creek and a second creek behind the turf field even after completing Freshwater Ecology. The research even inspires some students to change their majors or take an independent study.

Biology major Hana Sato ’26 of LaGrange, Ga., is one such student. She enjoys the time-consuming and tedious part of extracting samples from the creek as much as the data analysis. She’s considering graduate school as her next step.

Student using a dropper over a bin of creek water — Senior biology major Hana Sato extracts macroinvertebrates from a sample taking from Oglethorpe Creek.

Biology major Amiyah Orr ’28 of Rome, Ga., is already thinking about leveraging her research experience for her next steps.

“I plan on using this on my application for veterinary school,” Orr said. “I’m looking at UGA, and this will help me be competitive.”

Dudley and her students provide their findings to Georgia Adopt-A-Stream. They are published publicly on the website allowing students to contribute to overall monitoring efforts.

Ice tray filled with water and macroinvertebrates — Under Dr. Maura Dudley’s leadership students conduct hands-on research on creeks on Oglethorpe’s campus. This is a sample of macroinvertebrates taken from the creek.

The work in the two on-campus creeks is so compelling Sahara Moore ’26, a biology and photography major from Atlanta, is producing a documentary film on the work, providing another dimension to the hands-on educational experience at Oglethorpe.

Students who are interested in learning more should contact Dr. Dudley and get involved. She welcomes all students no matter their academic major.