Fun with STEM and Sad Farewells

Two weeks ago, we set a series of goals, and so my first duty in this entry is to report the results. Happily, we exceeded our weekly image goal by photographing 3, 774 specimens; however, due to some trouble with trouble-shooting (say that five times fast), we only barcoded 4, 428 specimens, leaving us 1, 571 barcodes short of our ambitious objective. This did not damper our enthusiasm, but instead fueled it.

 

Last week digitization slowed, but not for lack of fervor. It was for a good cause, I promise. Dr. Monfils, Sascha, and I volunteered to lead a two-day workshop for STEM, a science and engineering summer camp that aims to get sixth grade girls involved in math and science. The first day, Dr. Monfils gave a fun and brilliant presentation on mitigated wetlands and natural history collections, while Sascha and I set up wetland specimens from the Herbarium in the other room. We designed an informational plant identification worksheet, and after Dr. Monfil’s presentation, the children were able to examine the labeled specimens and learn fun facts about them (For example, did you know that Horsetails, aka scouring rushes, can be used to clean musical instruments?). While the kids were thus occupied, Sascha and I placed the same species in another room, but with the labels covered.

A mitigated wetland at Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, MI

After they were done learning about the plants, the children could choose to enter the room and try to accurately identify the “mystery” plants by morphology alone. When they got every plant right on the Plant Identification Challenge, candy rained figuratively down upon the victors. The second day, we, along with some CMU BUMP scholar volunteers, took the children on a scavenger hunt at the Chippewa Nature Center in Midland, MI. There they got to see a real mitigated wetland, and tried to find all of the plants, animals, and engineering structures on a worksheet Sascha and I made.
 

Sascha, myself, and CMU BUMP Scholar volunteers

 

I have to say that working with these kids was a true pleasure. They were some of the most curious, perspicacious, and enthusiastic sixth graders that I have ever met. They were eager to answer questions, and on the scavenger hunt they were tripping over each other to point out the plants that they had learned the day before. It was great to get these kids excited about science and nature, and it was all the more satisfying to know that our Herbarium specimens were involved in garnering that excitement.
 

The kids were very excited to learn the difference between broad-leaved (Typha latifolia) and narrow-leaved (Typha angustifolia) cattails

  

The Waterlilies were the first plants the kids recognized


Last Thursday, Sascha left us to undertake a whole new series of adventures while she studies abroad in London. She shall be missed desperately, and digitization will be slower now that I am doing it on my own. However, despite last week’s felicitous detour, Sascha and I accomplished much before she left. This morning, I began photographing cabinet fifteen (out of twenty cabinets), and we have now digitized 13, 857 specimens!

 

Sascha, sad to be leaving us! By the way, I will suffer her wrath for posting this picture.

 

Although the end is nigh, setting goals is still important. Thus, my goals for this week are 1,500 photos and the completion of all barcodes through cabinet twenty.

Until next time, I shall be here bright-eyed and bushy tailed,

Abigail H.