The SLTER helps make the scientific process more real for students
The MCM-LTER is dedicated to making "environmental science an integral part of life for students by 
enabling them to collect and analyze environmental stream data; thereby learning about basic ecological principals, environmental geochemistry, geomorphology, and climate variability through hands on experience"
Students are exposed to hands-on methods and real environmental data
A primary focus of the McMurdo-LTER is on stream hydrology and biogeochemistry in Antarctica. Many of the measurements taken by students in Central Ohio are similar to, if not the same as, the measurements 
taken in Antarctica. Although it would be incredible to send all of our students to Antarctica, the remote location of the McMurdo-LTER site makes it impossible for high school and middle school students to accompany scientists into the field. Instead, the Linworth students use the same protocols and data analysis and work with the technical staff to represent the data as it is done for the LTER.
MCM-SLTER research involves students from Linworth Alternative High School (United States) who monitor the chemistry and ecological diversity of streams near their campus. They perform similar measurements around the same times of year, exchange information, and work together making cross-site comparisons and identifying reasons (hypothesizing explanations) for differences in their observed data. Specific issues tackled by the groups include water quality, river ecology, and the role of climate and local human activities on stream properties
Samples are collected by students with help from professional scientists
Scientists of the McMurdo-LTER support studies on local rivers by providing technical support and sampling equipment for the students at Linworth. They have also met with teachers in the Central Ohio region to discuss their river studies and have planned a website as a common repository of river data from the Central Ohio schools.
Methods of monitoring the stream water vary slightly between groups, but all involve determining dissolved nutrients, chemical analysis (major cations and anions), as well as inventories of organisms for a specific stream length.