High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025
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Course Code
BSC
Course Number
4310
Faculty/Instructor
Dr. Linda Walters
Faculty/Instructor Email
linda.walters@ucf.edu
Abstract, Summary, or Creative Statement
When we were kids, we were always told to leave someplace better than you found it - maybe it was your room, campsite, or local park. Now, we have taken this lesson as a call to action to restore the Indian River Lagoon. Over the semester, we created and hosted an Oyster City Safari program for elementary schoolers as a part of UCF’s STEM Day, educating 50 students about oyster reefs and their importance for conservation. We also supported faculty and graduate students in their active research projects, and worked hands-on with local restoration leaders in their ongoing conservation work. Our endeavors in education, conservation, and research disciplines developed our skills as future restoration leaders and taught us a lesson: even simple efforts could leave the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem better for future generations.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
indian river lagoon; oysters; mangroves; service learning; bsc 4310
Recommended Citation
McWilliams, Cori and Poulios, Christopher, "Lagoon Lessons: Where Science Meets Service Learning" (2025). High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2025. 46.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hip-2025fall/46