Details of Program Components

and Agenda 

​

1. Evolutionary Biology Field Research – Channel Islands, California

April/May: One or Two Meetings for Introductions and Planning Field work.  

Zoom (or in-person) meeting to discuss the program and logistics of field work.

 

June 1-6: Field Research.

Become part of our field research team and join us on a field research trip to Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands off the coast off Santa Barbara, California. You will get the opportunity to see this beautiful and unique environment and meet the animals we study. Travel, food, and lodging expenses will be covered.

 

Research Field Trip general itinerary.

• June 1: Auburn Team fly Atlanta to Los Angeles.  Stay in Westmont College dorms, hotel, or AirBnB. Get groceries.

• June 2: Morning. Take boat to Santa Cruz Island.

• June 2-4: Stay at University of Santa Barbara Field Station. Lodging is gender-based dorm style. Conduct field work (see below).

• June 4: Afternoon. Take boat back to mainland. Stay in Westmont dorms, hotel, or AirBnB.

• June 5: See mainland California field sites.  Potentially some site seeing or visit natural history museum

• June 6: Fly back to ATL.

 

Channel Islands team field work. Usually 4-8 people.

A typical day on Santa Cruz Island: Breakfast (self-prepared). Leave field station around 7 AM. Take island field truck to different field sites.  Hike around looking under cover boards to catch snakes and lizards. Take blood samples on site. Bring all animals back to field station. Lunch (self-prepared) and a little down time. Meet in lab to measure animals, process blood samples, ultrasound the females to determine if they have eggs. Release animals back at site of capture. Evening: down time, group dinner, discuss plan for next day, clean up. Other activities may include night walk, sit by fire, or discuss research. 

• One of the days we go to a farther field site and measure all the animals at the site and have lunch there.  This is a longer day hike with elevation.

• One evening we will give a talk/discussion about the history of the islands and our research.

• One evening we will talk about challenges with teaching /learning evolution at different levels from middle school, high schools, Westmont College (a Christian Liberal Arts college), and at Auburn University.

 

2.   June 9 – July 3: Research at Auburn University.

Genetics Research in Schwartz Lab at Auburn University (with potential to work remotely some days/weeks). You will become part of the genetic lab research team, that is working to understand how these animals are evolving by using genetic techniques. We will have a specific question that we will aim to address with molecular analyses. No experience is necessary, we will provide training.

 

Typical Day in Lab (generally 8am-5pm, but flexible)

• Work in lab with graduate student or independently when trained. Typical work may include entering data, extracting DNA from blood samples, running PCR, evaluating genetic data, analyzing genetic data, analyzing morphological and physiological data, discussing research, discussing teaching, planning teaching module.

 

Opportunities to work remotely or over zoom.

• Entering data, looking at genetic data, analyzing data, learning methods, discussing research, planning teaching module.

 

 

3.   Concurrently:  Evolutionary Workshops and Teaching Module Development

We will have multiple mini-workshops in June and early July

• Meeting with Dr. Melody Russell 

• Discuss challenges with Teaching Evolution in Alabama

• Discuss ideas and data from SMAL project that could be used to facilitate teaching through data analysis.

• Meeting with Roger Birkhead about Alabama Evolution Curriculum and Labs

• ½ workshop with Data Classroom Statistical program– Aaron Reedy

• Evolution Module Development

• Practice/test Evolution Module

 

4.   Implementation: Test module in classroom, Assessment, Present

School year

• Test Teaching Module

• Dr. Melody Russell – Assessment 

• Present at the Alabama Teaching Conference