Rachel Swaffer's interest in water quality will take her half-way around the world this week when she travels to Japan as part of the Michigan State University-Tokyo University of Agriculture Summer Environmental Exchange Program.
Swaffer, a Traverse City Central High School junior, along with nine other Michigan high school students and 10 Japanese students, spent the last two weeks in a joint environmental exploration process. Along with five teachers from each country, the students focused on the Great Lakes and other water quality issues in Michigan.
"We tested sites like Spring Lake, the Huron River and places with notoriously weird situations,” said Swaffer, a student in TCAPS Sci-Ma-Tech program, who heard about the student exchange at school.
"I just did my sophomore class project on water quality testing on the bays. When I found out about this program I was really interested,” Swaffer said.
The program, funded by the US-Japan Foundation and the Japan Foundation's Center for Global Partnership, provides full funding for participants, including airfare, meals, housing and transportation throughout Japan.
In addition to testing lakes and streams, while in Michigan the group visited the Kellogg Biological Station, the Great Lakes Science Museum, Mackinac Island and the Soo locks before spending the weekend visiting the homes of local students.
Sixteen-year-old Seri Kimura of Tokyo, Japan spent time at Swaffer's home as well as the home of Jennifer Campbell, a senior from Johannesburg.
Kimura will have the opportunity to welcome Swaffer and Campbell into her home when they arrive in Tokyo before conducting a 10-day exploration of Japan's water quality at sites including Kawaguchi and Biwa lakes.
Swaffer and Campbell are especially looking forward to learning about the Japanese culture.
"This is just such a neat project. I want to learn everything about Japan that I can,” Campbell said.