ASTM International sponsored a field trip to Riverbend Environmental Education Center in Gladwyne, Pa., on May 8 for 90 third-grade students from Whitehall Elementary School in Norristown, Pa.

The students were excited for their first trip to Riverbend, which was planned as part of their current science lesson on watersheds, the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place. The students visited the center’s stream and pond, and learned more about the watershed model, the effects of pollution and macroinvertebrate activity.

ASTM International, based in West Conshohocken, sponsors several field trips a year to Riverbend for local elementary schools in the Colonial, Norristown and Upper Merion school districts to coincide with their classroom science lessons.

Riverbend’s mission is to “teach environmental principles to children in Southeastern Pennsylvania through a direct connection with nature, inspiring respect for our natural world and action as aware, responsible and caring citizens.”

In the photo, John Henderson, Senior Project Leader, Information Technology Development and Application, ASTM International, greets Whitehall Elementary Students as they arrive at Riverbend Environmental Education Center.

ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org   

Release #9369