Shoreham-Wading River High School science research students have a unique laboratory for studying the natural landscape right on the school campus.

Under the leadership of research teacher Dana Schaefer, sample collection has been completed for projects in this year’s Barcode Long Island program, which include studies of the biodiversity of lichens, mushrooms and aquatic macroinvertebrates on campus and in the nature trail near the school.

The mission of the collaborative project with the American Museum of Natural History, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University is for students to gain an intuitive understanding of the crucial interdependence between humans and the natural environment.