Team Bio

The research team consists of a high school Science teacher, Robert L. McCall 2nd, a Chemistry professor from UTM, Dr. Jennifer Esbenshade, and six high school students, Josh Floyd, Logan Rash, Max Witt, Logan Sawyers, Jacob Romans, and Andrew Campbell. Each member of the team is a resident of Weakley County and uses city or well water sources in their homes. Each member has a large stake in ensuring that water in their county is of high quality and not contaminated in any way.

Robert L. McCall 2nd

I have been a high school Science teacher for the past six years. I have taught Chemistry, Physical Science, Biology II, and ACT Prep at the high school level. I have implemented a curriculum in my Science classes centered around a hands-on and laboratory skills based approach. I built the Science curriculum not only on state standards given to me by Tennessee, but I also aligned each state standard with specific laboratory skills. I keep close ties to local Universities and discuss with professors the laboratory skills that are needed for their freshmen level Chemistry and Biology classes. Based on the laboratory skills discussed and observed in freshmen level classes I created a list of laboratory skills to center state standards and Science content on. In addition to the laboratory skills being the centerpiece of instruction I also implemented research projects for students to demonstrate their knowledge of laboratory skills and their knowledge of the scientific method. To help students gain even more in-depth practice with laboratory skills and to better prepare them for careers in STEM I started a summer research program with the University of TN at Martin's Chemistry Department in 2017. The research from that first year of the summer program was submitted to the TN Junior Academy of Science Competition, and my students were invited to present their research in March of 2018 at Belmont University. The data, research paper, and presentation that was generated during last years research is available at the following link. I hope to continue this summer research program with funds donated for this new experiment that my students and I are trying to implement this summer. I have made it a goal in my teaching to create a Science program at Greenfield High School that can properly prepare students for careers in STEM and better acquaint students with the fact that having a scientific mind can benefit their community and ultimately society.

Logan Rash

My name is Logan Rash; I am a senior at Greenfield High school in Greenfield, Tennessee. I have lived in Weakley County and in the city of Greenfield my whole life. I am a part of the High School Beta Club at Greenfield High School. I plan on going to college in the pursuit of a degree in engineering. I do not know which college I will attend just yet. The reason I am interested engineering is I like to see how things work and I enjoy fixing things. I have decided to be a part of the summer science research because I feel like it will better prepare me for college.

Andrew Campbell

My name is Andrew Campbell, and I am a Senior at Greenfield High and member of the Summer Research team for this summer. At Greenfield HS, I am involved in the Beta Club, Student Council, FBLA, Spanish Club, and "Mathlete" group; I have won the TMTA math competition at UT Martin in various subjects every year for the last 3 years. Outside of School, I am heavily involved in my church and youth group. Two of the most amazing trips I have ever been on were the two mission trips I went on with my church to Cincinnati, Ohio and Sevier County, Tennessee to serve those who needed our help.I try to work hard at school to get the most of my education; I currently hold a 4.0 Quality GPA and a 99.73 Cumulative GPA. Science classes at Greenfield are challenging sometimes, but I enjoy them. Science is one of the most basic studies at school because it examines and describes everything that is material and physical in our world. I think what I enjoy most about studying science is just being able to see what you've learned and apply/observe it in every minute of your life. There is a realness and relevance to science that I admire, and I think this sparks my interest toward Mr. McCall's classes at Greenfield more than anything. I got into the Summer Research team for many reasons, but most of them can be boiled down to just two. Firstly, I enjoy Mr. McCall's classes, and I wanted to learn and experience more about how the Scientific Method is really applied; I thought this was a tremendous opportunity for that. Secondly, college courses in the sciences are much more difficult than those in high school, and I felt that by completing this research and learning some more from Mr. McCall, I would make myself the most prepared I could be for Science at the next level of education. I look forward to working with all these researchers this summer and finding out more about the contents in different waters and their effects.

Jacob Romans

I am a 17 year old senior at Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Tennessee. I have lived in Greenfield my entire life, and love my city and the community of people I have known over the years. I have always had a passion for animals and science, which is why I would like to become a veterinarian. I plan to study at the University of Tennessee at Martin. I am very glad to have such a dedicated science teacher as Mr. Robert McCall, whom is very good at working without his students in and out of the classroom. His summer research program allows any of his students that plan on having a career in science to have a better understanding of what it is like to be a scientist, and to potentially help the people of our community with our findings.

Joshua Floyd

I am a senior at Greenfield High School in Greenfield, TN. I really enjoy school, especially Science and Math classes. I currently have a 4.0 GPA. Throughout high school I have involved myself in many clubs and sports that will prepare me for life after graduation. I have been a member of the basketball team for all 4 years and a member of the baseball team for 3. I have been the Class President for my class since freshman year as well as the Beta Club Vice President. I am also a member of FBLA, FCA, and Student Council. Upon graduation, I hope to attend the Air Force Academy and pursue a degree in Computer Science. I have always enjoyed science, and I enjoy challenging myself with new and unfamiliar things. I decided to join this research team because I feel like it will be a good challenge and learning experience for myself and my teammates. Our science teacher, Mr. Robert McCall, has been a great role model and influence on myself to work harder and reach my full potential. His classes are filled with many educational hands-on activities that help EVERY student learn more and understand the topics he teaches instead of just memorizing answers for tests. His guidance in our research will greatly help us throughout our endeavor to find out how different water sources can affect health.

Logan Sawyers

I am a senior at Greenfield High school in Greenfield, Tennessee and I have lived here my entire life. I enjoy the different science classes our school has to offer with my favorites being chemistry and biology. This summer research will allow me to better understand what I will experience in a college setting. I have lived with Greenfield's city water supply and I am currently using well water. I believe this research is very important as its outcome may make a difference in the lives of our citizens.