In early June, students of Volgograd State Agrarian University joined the ranks of researchers — not as spectators, but as participants in real field and laboratory work. Under the guidance of the staff of the hydrobiology department of the branch, they learned how to collect samples, disassemble them into their components, and see the whole world in a drop. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, zoobenthos — these words were no longer just terms: each of them now had real organisms, their own habits, their own role in the life of the river. The microscopic analysis was especially fascinating: by subtle signs, it was necessary to understand who was in front of you, and then to draw a conclusion about the health of the reservoir and the abundance of fish food. From such small but accurate observations, large analytical reports are formed, on which serious decisions will then be based.
Soon, schoolchildren picked up the baton: in the second decade of June, the laboratory of hydrochemistry and toxicology opened its doors to almost 300 students from Volgograd. The workshop "My house on the Volga" became for them a journey through their native land. The collection of bottom organisms collected by the scientists of the institute aroused the imagination: each exhibit seemed to tell its own story about the depths of the Volga. But the highlight was the practice — the opportunity to look into a microscope for yourself and see daphnia, these tiny freshwater crustaceans. For the children, it was not just to "watch", but to feel like real researchers: after all, it is precisely such small creatures that help them understand how clean and prosperous their native home is.
Practical training and participation in such classes provide not just knowledge, but live experience: from the first step at the shore to a meaningful report, where each line is supported by their own work and observation.
VNIRO Press Service
