Out in the Field SCIENCE AT MARVELWOOD
“ We have a responsibility to share our knowledge with people in the community and to work together to preserve and protect the incredible biodiversity we have here.” Laurie Doss, Science Department Chair
As chair of Marvelwood’s science department and the catalyst behind many of the School’s field-based learning endeavors, Laurie Doss knows that students learn best when they’re engaged and excited. “I try to ignite my students’ curiosity about the natural world so they can sustain that curiosity for the rest of their lives,” she says. A key part of her teaching approach has been developing partnerships with local and global organizations focused on environmental research and conservation. These partnerships give students valuable opportunities to put their knowledge and skills to work in real-world settings, while making positive contributions to their communities. Doss was recognized in 2014 with the Aquarion Environmental Champion Award for her tireless work as an educator and environmental advocate.
Living Science Mapping migratory bird patterns, documenting species for the state’s Natural Diversity Data Base, designing an urban forestry management plan. If these sound like the accomplishments of graduate students or field scientists, guess again. These are just a sampling of the activities that Marvelwood students participate in through the school’s experiential science program. From the vernal pools of Kent, Connecticut, to the lowland rainforests of Panama, Marvelwood students have incredible opportunities to interact with the science topics they’re studying— and discover their passions and potential along the way. science field trips
Citizen Scientists
· Audubon Sharon
At Marvelwood, science is about applying knowledge in the context of the wider world.
· Brookhaven National Lab
Students play a hands-on role in the ongoing study and stewardship of the Skiff Mountain Preserve, 445 acres of forest and wetland habitat in Kent that surrounds Marvelwood’s campus. Activities include partnering with the Kent Conservation Commission to conduct river bioassessments for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) as well as collecting and photographing plants and wildlife for community field guides and posters in conjunction with the Kent Land Trust.
· Bronx Zoo · H enry Lee Institute at University of New Haven · Lecture by Jane Goodall · M anomet Center for Conservation Sciences · Mystic Aquarium · Norwalk Maritime Center · Project Oceanology cruise · W hale watch and habitat studies on Cape Cod · Yale Peabody Museum
Junior and senior students who want to dive deeper into environmental science can enroll in Honors Environmental Studies. This field-based course integrates curriculum established for the Connecticut Envirothon, a yearlong program for high school students throughout the state that involves weekend workshops led by environmental professionals in forestry, aquatics, soils, and wildlife. In addition to attending workshops, students collaborate in teams to develop a projectbased solution to an environmental challenge, which they present at the annual Envirothon competition in May.
Marvelwood students can expand their field research experience through the University of Connecticut’s Natural Resources Conservation Academy. The academy kicks off with a weeklong summer workshop and continues throughout the school year. Participating students work with a Marvelwood faculty mentor and community member to design and carry out an independent research project geared toward improving conservation efforts in their community. Past projects have included a native bird song inventory and an interactive walking trail for children.
On the cover: View of Cocobolo Nature Preserve in Panama from a local farm.
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taking flight Students use GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Global Information Systems) technology as well as Google maps to document where birds of global conservation concern, such as the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) and Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), have been found on the property surrounding Marvelwood. Their work helps support Kent Land Trust’s application for Skiff Mountain South Preserve to be designated as a state Important Bird Area (IBA).
After an overgrown field was cleared deep in the forest to re-establish a small gap and enhance the vertical vegetation structure on Skiff Mountain, Marvelwood students banded four Cerulean Warblers, a species listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Not Your Average Courses What do birds, human behavior, and crime scene analysis have in common? They’re all course subjects at Marvelwood. Marvelwood offers exceptionally diverse science courses that introduce students to topics typically reserved for college-level study. Ornithology is one such course. Not only is Marvelwood one of the few high schools in the country to offer a yearlong course in ornithology, but the School also operates three bird banding stations near campus under guidance of the Institute for Bird Populations and the MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) program. Students learn how to band birds and collect avian data to help inform broader research and conservation efforts and to help local land trusts better manage for avian biodiversity. Students have
observed more than 100 bird species in the Skiff Mountain area and work with the Connecticut DEEP to maintain and monitor one of the few inland colonies of Purple Martins. Ornithology students, as well as those in other science classes, have the incredible opportunity to travel during winter break to the Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama through Marvelwood’s Building Migratory Bridges program, a collaborative research effort with a Panamanian NGO to increase understanding of the reserve’s neotropical birds and other species. On recent trips, students explored and conducted research alongside a National Geographic photographer and
Meet Your Neighbours project cofounder; as well as the president and executive director of Roger Tory Peterson Institute, a professional herpetologist, wildlife photographer, ornithologist, and world expert on endangered neotropical frogs. (Panama trip story on back cover.) For students fascinated by CSI and other crime shows, Marvelwood’s Forensic Science course offers scientific insight into the drama. Students learn how to collect, document, and process criminal evidence, including how to perform analyses on fingerprints, hair, soil, and blood splatter. Class activities include evaluating a staged crime scene
and visiting the Dr. Henry Lee Forensic Science Institute at the University of New Haven. Students can also explore the science behind human interactions and social perception by enrolling in Marvelwood’s Social Psychology course. Topics up for discussion include why people develop intimate relationships, how social pressures can lead to conformity, and the reasons behind stereotypes. In addition to writing papers, students complete two major research projects. Past research areas have included how people are affected by fear and how we define beauty.
marvelwood.org/science
Alumni in Science “ It’s wonderful not only to see the next generation of Marvelwood students go in the field and use advanced technologies such as Global Information Systems (GIS), but also to know that the ethics behind their coursework is one of conservation, global citizenship, and making the world a better place.” Lori Pelach ’99 Lori Pelach works as a conservation account manager at Esri, one of the world’s leading developers of GIS software. In this role, she helps environmental nonprofits utilize geospatial technology tools and data to make the best decisions about where to focus their conservation efforts.
lori pelach ’99
brian bachmann ’88
“ One of the primary reasons I came to Marvelwood was to have a flexible learning environment. I was allowed and encouraged to enroll in science and math courses that I couldn’t take at my public school, and one of my Marvelwood teachers even crafted an advanced calculus curriculum for me as a senior.” Brian Bachmann ’88 Brian Bachmann is an associate professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University, where he leads a synthetic biology lab. His research accomplishments include the development of a lifesaving AIDS drug and an improved manufacturing process that is greener as well as cheaper, making the drug more affordable to those who need it most.
Seeing the Big Picture
Pictures are one of the few things that can overcome language barriers and link people together for a moment in time. Marvelwood students and faculty, together with photographers from the internationally acclaimed Meet Your Neighbours project, travel annually to the Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama
to help collect scientific data on the region’s vast array of fauna. Children from the village of La Zahina are provided with cameras to help in the scientific discovery. Throughout the school year, Marvelwood students also use photography to document the
incredible biodiversity on the property surrounding the School. Both projects prove that young people from all socioeconomic backgrounds—armed simply with a camera—can promote awareness and conservation of the incredible biodiversity in our world.
Photo credits: @Clay Bolt, claybolt.com (far left, second from right); Joshua Fusaro ’17 (second from left, far right).
“ The Panama trip was an educational, fun, and maturing experience. I witnessed a lot of poverty, yet people were still constantly smiling and joking around. The trip helped me step outside of my comfort zone and grow in confidence. I am looking forward to going back to Cocobolo during my senior year!” Hadley Zuse ’16 476 Skiff Mountain Road | PO Box 3001 | Kent, CT 06757-3001 860-927-0047 or toll free 800-440-9107 | marvelwood.org a day and boarding school for grades 9–12, plus post-graduate year option