Taryn McDermid and Anya Wieder from the Innovation Center’s conservation data science class entered the World Affairs Challenge (using data relating to the Northern Redbelly Dace Project). They completed tasks for the competition, including ongoing participation with the project, speaking with judges, reading texts and completing a quiz on global issues, and then the final collaboration with students from around the world. There were over 700 participants from six different countries.

A key theme of this year’s challenge was community partnerships and life in water! Attached are pictures of the students in the field working with collecting data, in the lab testing the water samples, and working in our fish hatery. More information about the organization is here, “The competition provides middle and high school students the opportunity to engage with communities around the world as they collaborate to achieve the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. WAC participants explore different cultures and aspects of international affairs, develop skills to equip them for the future, and realize the impact and positive power of their ideas, voices, and projects.”

https://worldaffairschallenge.org/2022-winning-projects