Trips, Events, and Outreach

Outreach

"Welcome Back!" Cookout

The Biology Department hosted a fun welcome back get together for all biology students and faculty at a pond on the Abbey property south of Atchison. We cooked and consumed hotdogs, hunted for frogs (mostly tiny), and held several flights of canoe races. It was a beautiful late summer evening out by the pond. We enjoyed catching up, telling stories from summer adventures, and talking about new classes and projects.

Involving Local Schools

We invited a group of young students into our labs to participate in an activity involving firefly bioluminescence.  About 15 elementary and high school students joined undergraduates from our Animal Physiology course in learning about how the enzyme fireflies use to produce their bioluminescence works under different environmental conditions. Students then got a chance to tour the Biology facilities, meet our resident python, Bella, and learn some new things out of their regular classroom.

Squashing Hunger

In November 2013, dozens of Benedictine students traveled to Liberty, MO to glean squash from fields. They picked hundreds of pounds of squash, all of which was donated to feed the needy. The trip was one small way to give some time and effort back to the area community and make a difference for folks in need.

Spooky Science

Each Halloween, the science Departments of Benedictine College collaborate to put on a special event for area youngsters and their families. The aim is to expose young people to the exciting and fun side of science. Highlights from the Biology Department this year included, glow-in-the-dark bacteria, a Venus flytrap bean bag toss, live critters (including several snakes and a tortoise), assorted skulls and skeletons and face painting.

Trips

Amazon

Since 2006, we have regularly taken student groups to the Reserva Comunal de Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo in the Loreto District of Peru to study rainforest ecology.  The Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo was designated a reserve by the Peruvian government in 1991 to protect the range of the rare red uakari monkey, an orangutan-looking monkey with a bright red face and it is the only community managed rainforest reserve in Peru. The reserve allows access to a diverse number of ecosystems, and boasts the highest number of mammalian species recorded in the lowland Amazon, as well as the greatest number of primate species found in any protected park or reserve in the world. They also have over 500 recorded species of birds as well as several species of endemic amphibians and insects. See more

Egypt

During the Spring 2009 semester we offered an interdisciplinary elective course with a Spring Break field experience in Egypt.  Students explored the complex nature of Nile River Ecology and gained perspective on the cultures that have thrived in this region for thousands of years through the words of Egyptian writers and those that have written about Egypt.  The field-experience spent ten days along the Nile River and included professionally guided tours of Cairo, Memphis, Sakkara, Giza, and Valley of the Kings. See more

 

Ireland

“Nature in Ireland” is an interdisciplinary elective course culminating with a May field experience in Ireland.  During the spring term, students study the geologic, floral, and faunal histories of Ireland, as well as various perceptions and depictions of nature in Irish culture, chiefly from the perspective of Irish writers.  This intensive field-experience spends approximately one-week along the west coast of Ireland visiting distinctive sites around the Dingle Peninsula, the Aran Islands, Galway, and Sligo.  The second week is spent on the east coast in and around Dublin.  The main objective of this course is to provide an opportunity for inquiry-based examination of a foreign culture and landscape. See more

Location