Environmental Education

Goshen Dam Pond is becoming an outdoor laboratory for a group of 60 students who are sampling water to learn about the pond's health. Assistant professor Ryan Sensenig's ecology class at Goshen College has started a five-week project with the help of local environmentalists and a new mobile application developed by a Goshen company.

Peppers in an array of colors, shapes, sizes and flavors grown at the UC Davis Student Farm are igniting interest in plant breeding and the astonishing botanical diversity of the Capsicum genus, to which all peppers belong. “Fifty-two varieties is a wonderful candyland for me, but it’s just a few of the many varieties in the world,” said graduate student Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, who works on a partnership project between the Student Farm and researcher Allen Van Deynze.

It’s not just that Premium Rush is an hour and a half of intense observational overload, it’s that it explores the human power of observation as well as any film I’ve seen lately.

Last night was the annual Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) facilities tour. The BAC is a volunteer group of citizens who advise PBOT on how transportation policies and projects impact bicycling. Each year, they leave their usual City Hall meeting room to get an up-close look at bike infrastructure. Last year we explored east Portland, and this year the focus was on downtown and the inner eastside — a part of town the city commonly refers to as the central city.

This lesson is based on the highly engaging book Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, by biologist Thor Hanson. The book is one of the winners of the 2012 SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books. SB&F, Science Books & Films, is a project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Due to the normal demands on class time, you might want to consider using this lesson with an advanced group of students, or as extra credit for highly motivated and focused students.

From Rafe: Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues,

Every July and August these walks and programs are offered free to the public, covering an amazing variety of topics through the years – animal tracking, plant identification, edible and medicinal plants, forest ecology, amphibians, birds, mushrooms, trees, deer, moose, bear, beaver and more. New educational director Bridie McGreavy, following Harding’s retirement, is adding new programs. Read the full story