Evergreen Field Studies
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The Evergreen State College Magazine Winter 2005 Outside Evergreen Field Studies Another Side of Paradise • Geoducks Head to Nationals The students rallied and found a way to get warm, The academic topics were geology and Washington history dry, and fed. After we got settled, we hiked in the rain but the main goal was for faculty to experience fi rst hand the y fondest memory of taking students into the forest in some serious rain. I still chuckle whenever joys and benefi ts of natural history fi eld studies and to learn I see the picture of us on that hike soaking wet, yet methods to incorporate it into their academic programs. fi eld was a frosh core program in the Olympics happy. That trip bonded us as a true community for I had the pleasure of attending that institute and it was soon in January. We had reserved a Forest Service the remainder of the academic program and beyond. thereafter that I took those frosh students into the Olympics. camp but a falling tree knocked out the kitchen/ M When I “enter the fi eld” as a social scientist, my venue is Hope to see you in the fi eld soon! community center just before we arrived, forcing us to improvise often a community or an organization. Historically, fi eld shelter and cooking arrangements. study experiences have been an important part of Evergreen’s learning community experience and take many forms, like a few years ago when Paul Butler organized a faculty Don Bantz summer institute around backpacking in the Olympics. Academic Vice President and Provost THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON EVERGREEN MAGAZINE Greener News FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS Inside Vol. 26, No. 01 Winter 2005 Hip-Hop Science Hits Evergreen Published twice annually by the Written by Nalini M. Nadkarni, Peter Epperson, and Todd Denny, The Evergreen State College Offi ce of College Advancement The Evergreen State College LIB 3122, Olympia, WA 98505 Teachers use pop culture to make science fun. Member, Council for Advancement Evergreen ow can scientists make Gerardo Chin-Leo inspired the students and Support of Education Hscience exciting to urban kids? to explore the hidden worlds exposed Traditionally, researchers have tried at low tide on the Evergreen beach. Vice President textbooks and laboratory studies The yells of excitement at discovering for Advancement to engage urban and at-risk youth. squirting clams, elegant starfi sh, and Francis C. McGovern Often the results are poor, since translucent jellyfi sh assured the staff children who grow up in a landscape that the students were enthusiastically Director of College Relations of concrete and cars are not usually digging into places they had never seen. Jim Beaver p10 interested in bugs and trees. Features developed aspects of scientifi c inquiry. Buses from the south side of Tacoma Evergreen In the Field But, for a week in mid-July, a unique arrived each day with highly energized Editor Natural History Studies Take Students mixture of academic scientists, rap Dr. Nadkarni, a researcher in forest middle school students who had Jim Beaver Beyond the Classroom artists, and sound engineers inspired a canopies, recruited two other Evergreen limited exposure to college learning group of 40 middle school students from faculty scientists to provide a solid or the natural sciences. At the end Associate Editor p16 the Evergreen State College’s GEAR scientifi c basis for the program. The fi rst of each day of exploration, students Anthony Sermonti, ’04 UP program — a project to promote day, Dr. Nadkarni focused the students’ were challenged to write and record Another Side of Paradise energy and excitement on hidden Jon Huey, ’06, Experienced Fiji Culture lifelong learning funded by the US original lyrics inspired by the scientifi c Contributing Photographers worlds in the forest canopy, giving Martin Kane through Evergreen’s Island Studies Program Department of Education — to open discoveries they made during their their eyes and spirits to the many hidden them a tree-climbing demonstration to fi eld experiences. The last two days worlds that the natural world presents. a 70-foot-high canopy platform. She were fi lled with writing, editing, Contributing Writers p18 taught a professional rap artist named Steve Herman rehearsing, recording and partnering Jim Beaver Artifacts Get Makeover The concept of using popular culture “Caution” to climb with ropes and with professional sound engineers. On Scott Pinkston Shelly Smith, ’94, Is Preserving American — specifi cally, rap music — to engage harnesses. After he descended back the fi nal day, twelve tracks were laid, History, One Book at a Time Anthony Sermonti, ’04 and teach students was developed to the forest fl oor, Caution created an mixed and compiled onto a custom Rachel Schleif, ’04 by Todd Denny, ’85, a musician and energetic rap song about his treetop music CD that the students, GEAR UP youth counselor. Peter Epperson, ’81 experience for the students. On Tuesday, staff, and scientists can use to promote Art Director / Design organized logistics and coordinated the the students, along with Research further learning and scientifi c inquiry. Tony Kirkland many partners. Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, Ambassador Dr. Jack Longino, carried Judy Nuñez-Piñedo Departments Greener News p01 faculty member and founder of the out experiments on the hidden worlds As one of the kids said in the Research Ambassador Program, funded of thatch mound ants that dwell in the fi nal talking circle, “I didn’t know Copy Editing College parking lots. On Wednesday, Dr. Pat Barte ’91 Geoduck Sports p07 by the National Science Foundation, science could be fun — but it is!” To submit items for Alumni Matters, Alumni Matters p20 contact the Offi ce of Alumni Affairs . (360) 867-6551 or [email protected]. The Evergreen Magazine accepts paid advertising. For more information about advertising or other items contact Pat Barte at (360) 867-6128 or [email protected]. 1 ©2005 The Evergreen State College Greener News Greener News Written by John Dodge, up nicely with the fuel needs of the The oil is transferred at the farm The Olympian, Monday, Nov. 29, 2004 two diesel tractors, Stout said. into a 55-gallon insulated drum and Organic Farm heated to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, “Biodiesel is a niche that could be using an electric heating strip. makes biodiesel filled here,” Bray-Hoagland, 24, said. Lye and methanol are mixed in another Biodiesel will replace the diesel burned barrel and then introduced to the Student–built plant changes kitchen waste oil into fuel. in the tractors, reducing chemical vegetable oil in a reactor vessel where emissions that are toxic to humans the ingredients are mixed for an hour. he Organic Farm at The the beginning,” said college science and curbing carbon dioxide releases Glycerin — a by-product of the TEvergreen State College has operations manager Marty Beagle, who that contribute to global warming. mixing — is allowed to settle out its own biodiesel production plant, worked with the students on the project. The nontoxic fuel is in use in several of the fuel for 24 hours, then the thanks to the creativity and hard “It’s clearly one of the more successful other venues in South Sound. biodiesel is washed with water to work of three students. Beginning last student projects out of hundreds Intercity Transit, school buses and eliminate any residue soaps. spring, the waste oil generated in the I’ve been involved with.” John Dodge, a 1978 Evergreen city of Olympia garbage trucks use campus cafeteria kitchen will end up Then the water is filtered out of the oil alumnus and environmental a blend of diesel and biodiesel. as nonpetroleum-based fuel for the Sustainability to achieve a neutral pH reading of 7. reporter for The Olympian, And Acme Fuel Co. opened the recently received the 2004 Dolly two tractors at the student-run farm. Farm manager Melissa Barker first commercial biodiesel fuel Connelly award for excellence said the efforts of the three While the project has been Sam Stout, Kolby Bray-Hoagland pumps in South Sound about a in environmental journalism. students fit in perfectly with the challenging and rewarding, none and David Rack designed and built year ago at the intersection of Lilly Dodge received the award for sustainability goals of the farm. of the students wants to make the biodiesel processing plant at the and Stoll roads in Olympia. diesel production into a career. his series “Tracking Hazardous farm as a school project that began “We are already turning food waste into “I see biodiesel starting to get a foothold “I don’t want to be in the grease Waste,” a two-part series on in last year’s Practices of Sustainable farm compost and supplying produce to as an alternative fuel,” Stout said. business,” Bray-Hoagland said. toxic waste sites in Thurston Agriculture program and continued the kitchen,” she said. “By recycling the County. The first two-time Sam Stout (left) and Kolby Bray-Hoagland into this year’s fall quarter. “The cooking oil, we’re closing the loop.” Oil, lye, methanol Reprinted with permission winner of the award, Dodge Photo: Tony Overman hours that went into this project Processing biodiesel at the Organic from The Olympian. was also praised for his depth are unbelievable,” Stout, 24, said. The used vegetable oil is blended Farm is a fairly straightforward process. of knowledge and research. with lye and methanol in a biodiesel The waste oil is placed in collection The students also developed training, reactor the students custom-built on barrels with screens to filter out safety and maintenance manuals so campus and assembled at the farm. food particles and other solids.