Salmon Summit Introduces Thousands of Students to Research at PNNL

Science is fun and engaging. That hypothesis was validated by the “oohs and ahhs” of thousands of students at Salmon Summit, hosted in late April 2025 by the Benton Conservation District in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

Every year, fourth and fifth graders from across Eastern Washington raise fish in their school as part of the Salmon in the Classroom curriculum. The journey begins with students watching their salmon eggs hatch in the classroom, followed by studies of salmon life cycle and habitat and hands-on activities like testing water quality. When the salmon are ready to migrate, students get to say goodbye as they release them into the Columbia River.

Salmon Summit is more than just the release of fish. Hands-on learning and development opportunities are supported throughout the day as students move from station to station, learning from experts on topics related to salmon and the river.

PNNL STEM Ambassadors—scientists and research staff trained to share science with the public—were among the many volunteers bringing science to life for students through displays, games, and activities. In total, PNNL supported six stations, engaging with every student over the Salmon Summit event.

The PNNL Passive Integrated Transponder, or PIT, tagging station has been part of Salmon Summit for more than 15 years. At this station, students learn how researchers track salmon—raised by PNNL researchers in the Aquatic Research Laboratory and PIT-tagged at Salmon Summit—from the river to the ocean. PIT tags have a unique code that allows researchers to track fish movement through rivers and dams. Since this year’s Salmon Summit, more than 27 fish have been detected moving through checkpoints downstream in the Columbia River, and this information has been shared with the students back in their classrooms. The station was supported by PNNL fish passage experts Erin Zionce, Evan Arntzen, Margaret Giggie, and Kate Deters, as well as STEM Ambassadors Alison Colotelo, Jill Janak, Megan Nims, and Ben Vaage.

“Salmon Summit is a rite-of-passage for students in Benton County. It is incredibly rewarding to know that in addition to their learning about salmon, our STEM Ambassadors are sharing about the diverse careers in hydropower that are available,” said Colotelo, PNNL’s Hydropower Program manager and Salmon Summit enthusiast. Colotelo and Benton Conservation District were recently recognized with a national award for Salmon Summit.

This year, an exciting new addition to the STEM Ambassador program was the station titled “Game On! The Role of Digital Twins in Hydropower.” Leading up to the summit, STEM Ambassador Nick Cramer worked with Professor Hank Childs and students from the University of Oregon, Alea Minar and Jackson Zenti, on a digital twins activity—a simulated real-world environment. The activity is inspired by PNNL research funded by the Water Power Technologies Office, which gave students at Salmon Summit the opportunity to interact with a 3-D printed turbine and generator and watch as a virtual model came to life on a computer screen.

Through the digital twin science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) game, students stepped into the shoes of a power plant governor, adjusting water flow through the virtual turbine and generator to meet fluctuating power demands. This interactive, hands-on experience demonstrated the practical applications of digital twins, which help hydropower operators enhance monitoring and operations and plan for maintenance more effectively.

 PNNL’s Chitra Sivaraman and Matt Macduff also supported this station.

“Sharing digital twins for hydropower with hundreds of 4th graders at Salmon Summit was an absolute blast! Their enthusiasm was contagious as they eagerly asked questions and dove into the STEM game. By blending fun with futuristic technology, we’re inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators,” said Cramer.

Other STEM Ambassador stations were also present:

• Keeping Hydropower Secure: Riley Maltos and Dani Young shared how cybersecurity teams protect the infrastructure that supplies vital energy via hydropower through a tablet-based game developed by STEM Ambassador Penny Mckenzie.
• Fin It to Win It: Research analyst Kelsey Adkisson led a game exploring how different species of fish move through the river. The students had to make it from “the river” to “the ocean” by using their fish’s abilities to overcome various obstacles along the way, like predators and dams.
• The Power of Rivers: Harnessing Hydropower to Create Reliable Grids: STEM Ambassador Vishvas Chalishazar asked students to balance the electric grid by using a scale and wooden blocks labeled with different sources of electricity (i.e., supply) and things that use electricity (i.e., demand). This station highlighted how hydropower provides stable and renewable energy critical for balancing the electric grid.
• Testing the Waters: STEM Ambassador Amoret Bunn helped students measure water quality and investigate why this is so important to salmon.

While the reach to local students was significant, Salmon Summit was extended to approximately 2,500 additional students online through a livestream of PNNL’s PIT tagging station.

Attracting and preparing a highly skilled future workforce in STEM is part of PNNL’s mission as a Department of Energy national laboratory. STEM Ambassadors help convey PNNL research and impact in meaningful and relevant ways by using hands-on displays meant to spark interest in STEM learning and careers. Last year, PNNL STEM Ambassadors reached close to 11,000 students and 2,000 educators. Learn more about STEM education and workforce development on our website.