1. The Global Rivers Observatory Collaborative Network Provides Opportunities for Undergraduate Research
Sharon Louise Gillies1, Steven J Marsh1, Alida Janmaat1, Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink2, Britta Voss2, Robert Max Holmes3
This collaboration has also results in the My Rivers, My Home art and science exhibit currently at the Fraser River Discover Centre. The My River My Home resource guide was created in partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of the Fraser Valley. Scientists from these organizations have been studying the water quality of the Fraser River for the past several years. The results of their study are on display in the My River My Home exhibit on display now at the Fraser River Discovery Centre. Their work can now be shared with a wider audience. The guide also includes sections to encourage students to connect with water on a personal level, explore sustainability, investigate water quality, put the Fraser River in a global perspective, and become active citizens in water quality issues. 
For the past five years, faculty and students from UFV have been collecting a variety of bi-monthly water samples from the Fraser River for the Global Rivers Observatory. Samples are shipped to Woods Hole for chemical analysis at WHOI or WHRC.
UFV undergraduate students who become involved learn proper sampling techniques and are given the opportunity to design and conduct their own research. Students have collected, analyzed and presented data from this project at regional, national, and international scientific meetings. UFV undergraduate students have also been hosted by WHOI and WHRC as guest students to work on independent research projects. While at WHOI and WHRC, students are able to conduct research using state-of-the-art specialized research facilities not available at UFV.
Successful research collaboration exists between the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), a primarily undergraduate-serving university located on the Fraser River in British Columbia, and the Global Rivers Observatory that is coordinated through the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC).
The Global Rivers Observatory coordinates time-series sampling of 15 large rivers, with particular focus on the large Arctic rivers, the Ganges-Brahmaputra, Congo, Fraser, Yangtze (Changjiang), Amazon, and Mackenzie River systems. The success of this international observatory critically depends on the participation of local collaborators, such as UFV, that are necessary in order to collect temporally resolved data from these rivers.
The rivers were selected to represent different climates, hydrology, and geology. The Fraser drains into the Pacific Ocean and the watershed is 248,035 km2. Unlike most other large rivers , the Fraser has no dams on the main stem. Relatively pristine, the Fraser is considered the world’s greatest salmon river.
For more information see:
2013 UFV students and faculty accompanied by Britta Voss sampling the Fraser River at Fort Langley
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the University of the Fraser Valley, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Woods Hole Research Center for their financial assistance and the support of the National Science Foundation for the Global Rivers Project. A special thank you to Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Britta Voss, and Max Holmes for their guidance and support throughout the project.
1. University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC, Canada. 2. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, US 3. Woods Hole Research Center, Woods Hole, MA, US