Dirt, Sweat, & Science: Life at a Field Station: June 2014

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Camp Explore

By Johnica Morrow

Last week the station experienced a flurry of young faces from nearby communities. Middle school-aged children were running around learning about soils, water, and all the things that live in them. This was for a week-long camp called "Camp Explore", which is a part of both Project Wet and Project Wild through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Environmental Studies program. The camp was led by environmental studies majors working under the direction of Sara Cooper. Sara is an academic adviser and instructor for the School of Natural Resources.

The campers came to CPBS during the day for activities rather than staying here on campus. Our awesome kitchen staff provided campers with yummy snacks like homemade granola bars, clementines, and Lucky Charms treats. The week of learning and fun concluded with a field trip. Below are some photos of campers enjoying their interactions with the environment.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Photography 161 Wraps Up First Art at CPBS Course

By Johnica Morrow

CPBS's First Photography Class

Last Friday concluded the first of what will hopefully be many art courses offered here at Cedar Point. This was a photography class open to majors and non-majors alike. The class was taught by Allen Morris and was two weeks long during our second session. Students learned all about technical aspects of photography, but were also challenged to explore their creative side with assignments to create images with deeper meaning and messages through their captured shots.

The class was well-received by students and gave them a chance to see CPBS through different lenses, both literally and figuratively. A simple drain or faucet became a statement into water issues in Nebraska. A long dirt road became a metaphor for life through the use of differential focus and a self-timer. Everyday objects became powerful symbols with insights into the human soul.

It was common place during those two weeks to see students throwing playing cards around a lab hoping for the right shutter speed to capture the shot, or to see people with cameras walking along the shoreline of Lake Ogalalla looking for inspiration. Each day brought new challenges in the use of lighting, shadows, and lines, but these challenges quickly transformed into adventures for our amateur photographers as they honed their skills behind their cameras.

In the final week, students took a trip to the Petrified Wood Gallery in Ogalalla and met some of the brothers that own the gallery. Students were able to see the breathtaking works of art created both by humans and by mother nature alike. The class was even able to score themselves some wall space in the gallery for displaying some of their work! This was a great opportunity for the students and was a wonderful way for CPBS to connect with the local community!

Students talk with one of the gallery's owners.

The library was abuzz with excitement on Friday morning as students made last minute preparations for their final projects. Beginning around 9:30am, students presented a photo series intended to convey a particular message to their audience. The projects were varied and excellent, especially for people who had only just begun to learn the intricacies of this art form. Some of the projects made us smile, some made us cry, some sent us into deep thought, and some pulled us into a world of dreams and fantasy even though the subjects were real. I was amazed at the abilities of these young photographers and at the depth of the imagery before me. It was wonderful to be able to sit in on these presentations and to contribute to the critiques! We anxiously wait to see what sort of art class(es?) will be offered here next summer!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Students Contribute to Growing CPBS Insect Collection

By Johnica Morrow

One of my favorite things about this station is our insect collection. The collection has been a part of the station for many years thanks to researchers and students making fairly regular contributions. Last summer, myself and Linden Reed, an intern working at the station who's non-summer job was to work in an insect collection facility in southern Texas, worked to bring together two collections that had been separated by time and to update the taxonomy of many of the insect groups CPBS holds in its collection. After days, she and I looked proudly at our organized work and smiled.

A year later, students in our Life 121 class used the collection heavily to confirm order identifications and to figure out the families of their specimens. Though keying a specimen is the preferable way to identify insects, this class was only doing a small collection and was not a class focused on insects. Having the collection available provided students with a quick and dirty way of putting together a collection that was only worth a small part of their grade for an introductory course.

I couldn't help feeling joyful as students carefully scoured the wooden boxes in search of something similar to their specimens. The students worked hard make sure that their identifications were correct. They also worked hard curating their specimens. Their level of care was evident as I graded their insect collections. Many students chose to keep their collections as points of pride, but others wanted to see their collections integrated into the station's collection for future students to have.

Earlier this week, I finally had time to sort through the student collections, choose the best specimens, print out labels, tag the specimens, and integrate them into the CPBS Entomological Collection. These students left some wonderful specimens that will help many people in the future to do what they had to do for Life 121. The collection was better for identification than any field guide could have ever been. It is a beautiful thing to have here at the station. I wish I had more time to devote to caring for the collection, but I am grateful for the time I was able to spend this week placing these lovely specimens into their new home. Below are some photos of our new arrivals!