Ecological Society of America

"A Nature Trail for Pre-K through College Level Students" Special Project

The goal of this project is to create a nature trail to enhance the environmental literacy of pre-K through college students. The land is used as a grassy playground for young children in Hampton University's Child Development Center (CDC), but existing playground equipment is old and the area needs renovation. The procedures will include planning (currently underway), inventory of plant and animal species, digging, planting, fencing, and providing water sources for wildlife. Creation and maintenance of the trail and continuing species inventories will be accomplished by the investigators, SEEDS Ecology Chapter students, Work-Study students in the CDC, and volunteers. The project will largely be carried during the 2007-2008 academic year.

"Why Do Hampton University Biology Majors Prefer Medicine to Ecology" Special Project

There is a perception that biology majors at Hampton University (HU), an historically black institution, are almost all "pre-med, while few seek environmental courses or careers. The study through this project sought to (1) quantify the proportion of HU biology majors seeking health professional degrees and career and (2) explain the reasons for the perceived disparity. The study used two approaches to these goals: (1) an anonymous survey adminstered to students in freshman, sophomore, junior and senior biology courses during the 2004 spring semester and (2) a literature search and student testimonials. Evidence suggests that high school guidance counselors, math anxiety, and role models are among the important factors for minority students deciding on a career.

The survey supported the hypothesis that most HU biology majors wanted to go to medical school. This choice was evidently made before matriculation at HU and did not change based on classification or GPA. Few students foresaw this career decision changing for any reason. Some factors influencing choice of medicine over ecology advanced by the research group included: "math anxiety", lack of encouragement by high school counselors, perception of research as being too lonely (students wanted to work with other people, not be alone in a lab), family pressure or expectations, exposure to career information, and expectation of a higher salary. Medical professionals are visible and accessible role models within the black community. Additionally, media exposure is an overlooked reason why students identify science as a synonym for medicine. Popular television documentaries such as Trauma: Life in the E.R., a real life depiction of hospital emergency rooms, and E.R., an entertaining fictional series, shape student interest.

The results of the survey and the testimonials meshed very well with the published literature. Although HU biology majors frequently are not the first in their families to attend college and are infrequently from inner cities, they still see few role models in any area of biology other than medicine before their career choices are made. Those students whose parents did not go to college probably were not urged toward earning a Ph.D. in science. Many HU biology majors struggle in mathematics, thus reinforcing their earlier lack of interest. Many black male students do not get much peer group support from other males for studying hard enough to succeed in science. The main barrier in the perception of HU students is still racism. Today this is subtler, such as lack of encouragement by teachers and counselors in high school. Strategies utilized by these programs are mentoring and role models, hands-on collaborative research, and financial support.

The conclusion is clear. If we want more African American Ph.D.s in science in general and ecology in particular, we must begin before high school (preferably in elementary school) to provide encouragement, role models, career information, and quality experiences in science. We should find a way to track young students who are interested in science so that we can provide necessary support (financial, educational, and personal) to keep them "in the pipeline." We must work hard to overcome negative perceptions about science and the current (mostly white) population of scientists. Only then will young black students have the necessary information, the firm foundation, and the fearless interest in "doing science" in the twenty-first century.

This study was presented in poster session at the 2005 ESA Annual Meeting.

"Effects of Microenvironments on the Growth of Trees of the Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton, Virginia" Special Project

The primary goal of this project was to utilize investigative ecological approaches to explore an ecological phenomenon of different environmental effects on the growth and development of conserved plant species, in such a manner that our science students, especially biology major students, are better prepared to participate in ecological research, ecological graduate training programs, and possible entry into ecological research-related careers. The research project examined the effects of three different microhabitats on the general growth and morphological development of common trees in a conserved forest in a typical forest of the eastern United States. The research project also aimed to obtain scienctific information on the ecology of forest trees that will be useful for other scientists in the study of forest ecosystem in the United States; train minority biology major students to understand, appreciate, and become actively engaged in botanical and ecological research; and, teach undergraduate students how to gather and analyze ecological data, and produce scientific reports for publication.

Three main microenvironments were selected for the studies within the forest community. These were habitats that contained significant numbers of the tree species that were selected for the investigations - pine, red maple, sweet gum, wax myrtle, and white maple: (1) roadside vegetation adjoining a major highway with significant carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide automobile pollution, and direct exposure to debris and other roadside disturbances; (2) vegetation at the banks of a large lake with perennial exposure to abundant moisture; (3) and, vegetation further inland away from any nearby roads or lakes, abounding with natural growth and intense competition among native tree species. Field work completed to date includes general descriptions of the differences in the physiognomy of the vegetation in the three microhabitats; tree collections of twigs and leaves; DBH tree field measurements; and, soil collections and measurements of temperature, color, and texture. Laboratory work completed to date includes plant identification; leaf morphological measurements (leaf length, width, and petiole length); treee height and size analysis; leeaf biomass; leaf physiology and biochemistry (chlorophyll and xanthophyll extraction and identification); soil analysis (soil texture, pH, and mineral components); and, anatomy (microscopic examination ofthe leaf epidermal cells, stomata count, and twig cross sections).

The different kinds of quantitative data are being subjected to statistical analysis for the test of significance, which will ultimately confirm or deny scientific differences in the variables under consideration, due to environmental differences in the three microhabitats.