Water Guardians in Ohio!
Earlier this week I spent a cool, wet morning on the lawn behind Pine Intermediate School in Ohio, where a narrow stream winds through the grass on its way to Lake Erie. STEM teacher Shari Insley had invited me to show her fifth graders how real‑time data can transform abstract water‑quality lessons into something they can see-and feel-they have […]
Build your own data collection experiences with GaiaXus Labs
With support from the Department of Education, GaiaXus has spent the last few years developing affordable, accurate, and versatile equipment for water quality monitoring in collaboration with teachers and citizen scientists. The Water Guardians have now touched ecosystems all over the United States, and abroad in Kenya and the Netherlands, leaving us wondering: how can […]
From Pitch Day to Next Steps: Reflections on Shore Hatchery
On May 13, 2025, I had the privilege of pitching our GaiaXus Water Guardian at Salisbury University’s 24th Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation Shore Hatchery Entrepreneurship Competition. After an inspiring, high‑energy day, the judges awarded us a $5,000 prize-exactly the boost we need as we move from small‑batch builds to full production scale. Why does this check-and the program behind it-matter? Since […]
Shifting Baselines: Great White Shark Documented in Suburban Maryland Lake
Freshwater salinization from road salt is a well-documented phenomenon-but its ecological consequences may be evolving faster than we thought. During a routine field validation of our GaiaXus WaterGuardian system at Black Hill Regional Park, we towed a conductivity and temperature probe behind a recreational kayak to assess spatial patterns in salt distribution. The system performed […]
Bringing Hands-On STEM Learning to Ohio: Equipping 14 Schools with Water Guardians
Last week, we had the privilege of delivering our Water Guardians to Ohio, equipping and training 14 schools with our water quality monitoring and education system. Thanks to the generous support of the Leonard Gelfand STEM Center at Case Western Reserve University, middle, high, and elementary schools across the region now have access to tools […]
Tracking the Storm: How We Monitor Water Quality in Extreme Weather
Winter storms don’t just bring snow-they send road salt into streams, disrupting freshwater ecosystems. Salt is necessary for road safety, but once it washes into waterways, it can dramatically alter water chemistry, harming aquatic life. Until now, capturing these rapid changes as they happen has been challenging. We developed the GaiaXus Water Guardian to change […]
NOAA Sea Grant Marine Debris Symposium
I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 2024 Sea Grant Marine Debris Symposium at the NOAA Research Offices in Silver Spring, Maryland. It was an inspiring event, and I’m genuinely grateful to have connected with experts, educators, and researchers-all united by their passion for protecting our waterways. My Takeaways Marine Debris: It’s staggering how […]
Wrapping Up Water Quality Monitoring on the Severn River
Our final water quality monitoring trip of the season with the Severn River Association (SRA), led by Captain Tom Guay, was a data-rich journey. Over ten monitoring stations, we measured water temperature, salinity, and clarity using the Secchi Disk. This data is essential in tracking the health of the Severn, especially as we face new […]
Enhancing Partnerships for Aina-based NGSS Experiences
We are thrilled to continue our work with Dr. Pascale Pinner to advance innovative STEM education for students in Hilo, Hawaii. As the technology partner in this initiative, our focus is on exploring the intersection of NGSS-aligned STEM education with cultural relevance, ‘āina-based (place-based) learning, and meaningful community engagement. Together, we are committed to integrating […]
Collaborative research project with the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC)
We are excited to announce the start of our collaboration with the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus. Dr Govind Rao’s team at The Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) at UMBC promotes the development of sensors for biomedical, bioprocess, environmental, and homeland defense applications. The collaboration is funded by the MIPS program for the duration […]