With funding from the Lakeland Foundation’s Faculty Challenge Grant program, Lakeland Community College recently installed a coral reef aquarium on campus for biology, geology and chemistry students to study a complex marine ecosystem firsthand.

The 200-gallon rimless tank contains over 50 species of sustainably grown coral from local farms and aqua-cultured base rock from the coasts of Florida. The tank also houses many other forms of marine life, including Mandarin gobies, urchins, starfish, sponges, shrimp and crabs.

Live ecosystems make for unique learning experiences in the physical sciences, allowing topics such as symbiosis, seawater chemistry, climate change and nutrient cycling to be directly observed and studied in real time during lecture and lab.

Presently, students gather much of their scientific data by examining preserved specimens in jars or via dissections.

“As our corals continue to grow, our students will be afforded the opportunity to observe species’ interactions, behavior and locomotion that could only be inferred from preserved material,” said professor Rickey Bartlett.

In addition to enhancing the physical sciences programs at Lakeland, there is potential for collaboration across Lakeland’s campus in the upkeep of the aquarium. For example, future projects may include designing and implementing an electronic automated system to monitor water chemistry, a process in which engineering technologies students may partake.

Bartlett is also excited to share that the tank has been used to conduct classes from local primary and secondary school teachers through Partners in Science Excellence, a partnership between scientists, educators and the business community to improve, expand and promote science education in Northeast Ohio.

The aquarium is housed in Room A-3025 on Lakeland’s campus, located at 7700 Clocktower Drive, Kirtland, Ohio 44094. It is available for viewing by contacting Rickey Bartlett at 440.525.7341 or rbartlett7@lakelandcc.edu. A Knowledge Exchange on the tank and its unique biodiversity will also be held Thursday, April 25, at noon in Room A-2100 (CLI). Updates and images of the tank can be found any time on Lakeland’s iNaturalist profile.

By: Charles Hegedus, Mrktg and Commun Specialist