On June 19-30, a scientific and educational expedition “Baikal is a natural laboratory” with the participation of 7-10 grade pupils took place on the base of the scientific station of Limnological Institute SB RAS in the settlement of Bolshiye Koty. A total of 20 schoolchildren from Irkutsk, Bratsk and Krasnoyarsk took part in the expedition.

The organizers of the expedition are: Limnological Institute SB RAS and Autonomous Non-commercial Organization “Cultural and Leisure Teenage and Youth Center “Rodnik” within the project “Scientific Potential of Siberia” with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund.

The aim of the expedition is: to teach students basic methods of sampling, conducting experiments and analyzing the obtained data in the field of environmental monitoring, aquaculture of commercial fish, microbiology and molecular biology on the example of the Lake Baikal ecosystem.

The educational program of the expedition was designed in such a way that each participant could conduct research in all scientific fields: sanitary microbiology, monitoring of Baikal zooplankton and zoobenthos, fish aquaculture using Baikal omul as an example, and basics of molecular biology methods. Each day there were both lectures and practical training in these fields. Practical training included both field sampling and trainings in the laboratories of the station. In addition to classes, the participants had leisure activities: hikes, games and songs around the campfire on the Lake Baikal shore. At the end of the expedition the participants prepared scientific reports up to their choice: from a traditional poster defense to dramatic arts. As a result, all participants prepared and defended excellently their scientific reports and presented them in the form of: dramatic art, cartoon, TED-style poster presentation and traditional poster presentation. The report in the form of a cartoon is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itfWv_hJcTs.

All participants of the expedition gained invaluable experience in conducting real scientific research from sampling to analyzing the obtained data and writing scientific reports in the form of theses. Most of participants are going to connect their future profession with science or medicine. We wish all participants to pursue their goals and we will be glad to see anyone of them among graduate students and then scientific researchers of Limnological Institute SB RAS!

Full photo album of the expedition by day can be seen and downloaded here: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/HTU9wt7Yd_T2lw.

The expedition regulation, educational program, list of participants and daily report are published on the website of LIN SB RAS and available at: http://www.lin.irk.ru/for-schoolchildren/expedition-school