A partnership between Grace College and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo could mean less algae covering ponds in the zoo’s African Journey area. That’s the topic of a story in today’s Fort Wayne, Ind., News-Sentinel. A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
Research project seeks to help Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo control algae on African Journey area ponds
A research partnership between the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and Grace College in Winona Lake could lead to future years with less algae covering ponds in the zoo’s African Journey area.
Chad Snyder, chairman of Grace College’s Department of Science and Mathematics, and junior biology student Will Lorenz of Peru, in north-central Indiana, began collecting water samples and other data about the ponds in April, Snyder said. They completed their last water sample collections Wednesday.
Snyder, who is an associate professor of chemistry and director of chemical research at Grace College, approached the zoo about collaborating on the research. The college and zoo are sharing the costs.
Snyder and his family have a zoo membership, and he noticed last year that a lot of algae grew in the ponds in the African Journey area, he said. He thought he could put his research skills to use, along with providing hands-on field research experience for students.
“It more or less was I just wanted to help,” he said. “Another thing I like — it brings people from two cities together,” he added later.
Click here to read the complete article.