PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #51: Education: Undergraduate I.
Thursday, August 8. Presentation from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Teaching ecology and environmental education at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University.

Wilber, Cynthia^*,1, Ackerly, David¹, ¹ Stanford University, Stanford, CA

ABSTRACT- Educational use of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve includes a broad array of inquiry based ecology and environmental education classes serving both formal academic populations and non-formal public education and mentoring programs. The Preserve enables opportunities for field instruction in both introductory and advanced classes, undergraduate and graduate research, for Stanford University as well as other colleges and universities. Students participate in field based classes in the environmental sciences, learn basic field techniques, gain an understanding of new technologies and acquire valuable field research experience. Outreach education includes a mentoring program involving Stanford undergraduates and Eastside School, a local high school whose students are primarily under represented minorities. The Stanford student mentors, all of whom have completed field studies classes at Jasper Ridge, work with small groups of Eastside students for eight weeks of field observations and projects. Research at the Preserve also reflects the commitment for mentoring and public outreach, with researchers at the global change experiment working together with two local high schools to provide field experience for science students. The impact of these field science experiences is broad but one measurable aspect is the number of students who enroll in subsequent classes at the Preserve and participate in formal research. This data is positive and many students expand their roles at the Preserve to include research, teaching assistant positions, mentoring programs, and graduate work in the field sciences.

KEY WORDS: ecological education, environmental studies, field science