Preserving a Paradise: The OWU Connection

An Ohio Wesleyan alumna, professors, and students are teaming up and using high-tech geography in Costa Rica to help preserve a rich and wonderful ecosystem.

(Photo by Alejandro Orozco)

An Ohio Wesleyan alumna, professors, and students are teaming up and using high-tech geography in Costa Rica to help preserve a rich and wonderful ecosystem.

Working with Geoporter’s Amy Work ’04 (far left), the OWU team included (from left) Professor John Krygier, Olivia Lease ’17, Michael Durfee ’17, Christopher Pessell ’18, Luke Steffen ’16, Maddy Coalmer ’18, and Assistant Professor Nathan Amador.

Looking out at the lush, vivid greenery around her simple home in Costa Rica, Amy Work ’04 can scarcely believe her good fortune. The sky is a gorgeous blue, a crystal-clear ocean is nearby, colorful tropical birds swoop overhead, and the sunshine is endless.

It’s a far cry from her growing-up years in Westerville and her college years at Ohio Wesleyan University, where weather tended more toward overcast skies and freezing Midwest winters.

“If you would have told me when I was in college that I’d be living in the tropics and working I would have said you’re joking, there is no way,” Work says. “Now I know that anything’s possible.”

A lofty sentiment, to be sure. But one she believes in so firmly that she’s trying to pass it along to other OWU students by inviting them to visit—and learn—in her little piece of paradise.

Work’s life on the eastern coast of Costa Rica centers on something she was introduced to at Ohio Wesleyan: GIS—geographic information system—technology. In its simplest form, it’s a way to display several sets of data on a single map so users can see and analyze the relationships between each. Accessed through computer software, the technology is used in fields ranging from archaeology to mosquito control to politics—anything that can use location as a factor.

GIS technology was growing in popularity in 2000 when Work was an OWU freshman taking a mapping course taught by geology and geography professor John Krygier.

“That class talked about how maps have helped us understand the world over time, and at the end it talked about GIS,” Work says. A follow-up class taught her the nitty-gritty of GIS and convinced her of its power. By the time she graduated in 2004 with a triple major in geography, urban studies, and environmental studies, she knew she wanted to pursue a career centered on GIS.

Work was sharp, focused, and fully engaged in learning about GIS, Krygier says, especially in upper-level courses where students used the technology to help map potential pathways for future Delaware bike paths. Eventually, Delaware created new paths based on the students’ work.

“She’s one of those people who has a vision and can see the parts needed to make it happen,” Krygier says. “What Amy got in that class was that there’s a tool that can make big, good things happen.”

After graduating from Syracuse University with a master’s degree in geography in 2006, Work became an education and GIS coordinator at the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology, or IAGT, in Auburn, New York. Through her work there she met Anita and Roger Palmer, founders of GISetc, a for-profit company that helps educators learn to use GIS in the classroom.

Beginning in 2009, the Palmers began traveling to the Costa Rican coastal village of Bahia Ballena to introduce GIS to community leaders, in the hopes the technology would help the village transition from a farming-and-fishing economy to a tourism economy. When it became obvious the couple’s yearly visits weren’t enough for the project to prosper, they asked Work to live and work there full-time.

That’s what she’s done since August 2012. She’s funded by Geoporter, a nonprofit organization set up by Work, the Palmers, and two Bahia Ballena community members. It’s designed to send educators around the world to do exactly what Work is doing in Costa Rica: solve local issues with GIS. This is Geoporter’s first project.

A hallmark of Geoporter is helping communities help themselves, Work explains. “The community members are the ones who are doing it,” she says. “The community has the goals and the objectives, and the focus is on getting community members to use the technology themselves.”

Bahia Ballena leaders decided to tackle trash in the streets with the help of GIS. For a decade, trash had been picked up curbside at homes, but in public places, residents tended to toss it on the ground, Work says. As a result, trash ended up in local streams and then in the ocean, reducing the area’s appeal for tourists.

Work suggested mapping where trash was coming from as a first step. In 2013, she and community members collected trash at specific intervals on the road, counted the kinds of trash found there, and mapped the results using GIS. They found a high concentration of candy wrappers outside grocery stores near schools, for example, from students buying candy on their way home. Soccer fields—popular community gathering spots—had food wrappers and bottles.

“Life in Costa Rica revolves around family, church and soccer, so on Sundays the entire town shows up to watch the games. And there were no trash cans near the soccer fields.” – Amy Work ’04

“Life in Costa Rica revolves around family, church, and soccer, so on Sundays the entire town shows up to watch the games,” Work says. “And there were no trash cans near the soccer fields.”

An analysis of the mapped trash produced action within the year: Trash cans with sections for recyclables and sections for non-recyclables were added where they would reduce the most trash, and an education program encouraged residents to use the cans.

Since then, trash in streams has diminished and more is being recycled—exactly what Geoporter was set up to accomplish.

To spread the word about the success and encourage others to embrace the technology, Work turned to her alma mater. She contacted Krygier, who had first taught her GIS, and his new colleague, Nathanael Amador, and asked: Would Ohio Wesleyan students be interested in working with Geoporter?

The idea jelled when Work returned to the states in 2014 to be inducted into the Ohio Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame for her starring role on the Battling Bishops’ national title-winning women’s soccer teams of 2001 and 2002. She talked up her GIS project with Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones and by 2015, Amador, with Krygier’s help, was offering a travel-learning course to Costa Rica. Such courses are a core element of The OWU Connection, helping students connect classroom learning with real-world practice in global settings.

“I still feel such a connection to the students at Ohio Wesleyan,” Work says. “I wanted them to see what I’m doing with my degree and to instill in students that you can apply your knowledge to anything and, if you have a passion, follow it.”

The proposal had clicked with Amador, an assistant professor of geology and geography who’d begun working at Ohio Wesleyan in 2014. He was teaching Environmental Alterations, a required class for environmental studies majors, and added the Costa Rica portion as an option for additional class credit.

“What Amy does embodies the point of the course, which is how humans impact the environment,” Amador says. “And it ties together the whole idea of being at Ohio Wesleyan, which is that graduation isn’t the end of your involvement with the University community.”

By December 2015, five students, along with Amador and Krygier, were bumping along the mostly unpaved roads of Costa Rica. Each had completed an environmental project centered on the country before their trip, and their 11-day visit expanded on those projects.

“It’s a good model. Our alumni are spread out all over the world, and I’m hoping other travel-learning courses will take advantage of that.” – John Krygier, professor of geology and geography

Madeleine Coalmer ’18 examined the effects of ecotourism, global warming, and climate change on water supplies in Costa Rica. She wanted to find out what could be done in the future to reduce yearly water shortages during the dry season. She soon realized that even her use of water at home in Youngstown, Ohio, could ultimately affect the water supply in Central America.

“When my mom picked me up from the airport after the trip, the first thing I told her was I’m going to be more cautious of how much water I’m using,” she says.

Coalmer also learned how much opportunity her chosen major, geography, can provide.

“Amy’s work shows that you can be successful and flourish with a geography major, and for her to have taken the same classes in the major that I’m taking meant even more,” Coalmer says. “It showed me that I could reach out to others and have connections all over the world.”

Chris Pessell ’18 of Cincinnati had studied the impact of African palm-oil plantations on the soil, water, animals, and plants of Costa Rica. African palms were brought to the country after Costa Rica’s banana-growing industry shut down. While they’ve helped the economy, native mangrove forests have been destroyed to make way for the plantations.

Pessell’s view of the industry changed when he visited a plantation on the trip. He realized he’d inflated its harm to the environment.

“I assumed it was like a tree farm, but there was a carpet of plants under the trees and a ton of different bugs,” he says. As long as the plantations aren’t expanding, he says, it doesn’t appear they’ll do additional damage to the environment.

Pessell particularly enjoyed another trip project: testing water in the Bahia Ballena area to ensure clean drinking water is available. After the trip, he helped map the data and hopes to add more as additional testing is done periodically.

“Development has encroached on the amount of water available,” Work says. “We’re mapping the water quality and the stream flow to understand what’s happening and to ensure that our dirty water is taken care of.”

The work cemented Pessell’s plan to pursue a career in water-quality testing when he graduates with his geography major.

In addition to the palm-oil plantation, students and professors visited two national parks, a bat sanctuary and a pineapple plantation; kayaked through mangrove forests; and took a whale-watching tour (but, unfortunately, saw no whales.)

Interestingly, neither Work nor Amador had opportunities similar to the Costa Rica trip while they were students.

Work’s plans to travel abroad were dashed by 9/11. Instead of traveling, she applied her GIS knowledge on local projects as a student, such as the bike-trail project.

For Amador, plenty of opportunities for study and travel existed at The Ohio State University where he obtained his undergraduate degree, but he had no money to participate.

“I think part of my passion for this is living through the students, letting them take advantage of these opportunities,” he says. “I was interested in getting students to really understand what it means to study this content outside of the classroom and to understand that people are employed doing what you’re learning in this class.”

“We’re mapping the water quality and the stream flow&hellips;to ensure that our dirty water is taken care of.” – Amy Work

The January trip was the second time an Ohio Wesleyan student had visited Work. The first was a year ago, when graduate Christian Gehrke ’15 took a University drone to Bahia Ballena to capture a birds-eye view of the community. The new imagery updated some from 2011 and has a higher resolution. Work will use it to see changes in the environment over time.

“We don’t have the resources to acquire a drone,” she says. “But the student had the technology to help us advance what we’re doing here.”

Krygier hopes the collaboration with Work spurs similar collaborations with OWU alumni.

“It’s a good model,” he says. “Our alumni are spread out all over the world, and I’m hoping other travel-learning courses will take advantage of that.”

In Costa Rica, the link between alumni and OWU continues. Amador visited this summer to take more water samples, and another OWU student took additional aerial photos with a drone.

Work appreciates the extra hands, the equipment and the enthusiasm that students and professors bring to the Geoporter project, but she also sees the collaboration as a way she’s giving back to the University.

“I want to be able to share with students what the University taught me,” she says. “It provided me with the foundation to know that you can learn and do whatever you want to. It shaped me into what I am today.”


Kathy Lynn Gray is a freelance writer from Columbus, OH.

To learn more about the GIS project and travel-learning course, see flickr.com/photos/geoporter/ and geoporter.net, or contact Amy Work at amy@geoporter.net.

Originally published 09/21/2016 in the OWU Magazine.


 

Climate Organizing Fellows

NextGen Climate is currently seeking detail oriented and highly motivated students to join our team in key states as stipend Fellows through the 2016 General Election.

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OHIO: Apply Here

SUMMARY: NextGen Climate is currently seeking detail oriented and highly motivated students to join our team in key states as stipend Fellows through the 2016 General Election. Fellows will be responsible for assisting Field Organizers managing volunteer efforts and voter registration/Get Out The Vote activities on key college campuses.

NextGen Climate is seeking Fellows who can begin immediately and work with NextGen Climate through the election in November 2016.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Developing a volunteer base on target campuses
  • Effectively recruit volunteers around the 2016 election, climate change, and other political issues pertinent to young voters
  • Registering voters at on and off-campus events
  • Utilize social and earned media to recruit volunteers and promote events
  • Use voter database and online organizing tools
  • Responsible for voter contact, volunteer recruitment, and event management
  • Meet all goals and deadlines

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

  • Strong appetite for grassroots organizing and passionate about climate
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Previous campaign experience is plus
  • Experience using voter databases like VAN is a plus
  • Ability to adapt rapidly to evolving priorities and deadlines
  • Driven with a strong work ethic
  • Act with high integrity and character
  • Self-motivated and willing to work long hours (including nights and weekends)
  • Previous climate, energy or environmental issue organizing experience a plus

COMPENSATION:

NextGen Climate offers stipended campaign organizing fellowships for students with both full-time and part time availability.

NextGen Climate is an equal opportunity employer.

ABOUT NEXTGEN CLIMATE:

NextGen Climate is a San Francisco-based environmental advocacy organization. Founded by businessperson and philanthropist Tom Steyer in 2013, we act politically to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans. Working at every level, we are committed to supporting candidates, elected officials, and policymakers across the country that will take bold action on climate change.

Apply Here

Environmental Studies at OWU Update Fall 2016

An update on OWU’s Environmental Studies Program as the fall 2016 semester starts.

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OWU Faculty member Nathan Amador (left) and Amy Work (OWU 2004, right) and various assistants hone in on a drone during an OWU Travel Learning trip to Costa Rica.

An update on OWU’s Environmental Studies Program as the fall 2016 semester starts.

2015-2016 academic year developments are listed on an earlier post on the OWU Environment & Sustainability Blog.

A few additional developments are worth noting:

Of obvious importance is the proposal for transforming our nearly 40 year old Environmental Studies program into Environmental Sustainability, part of the campus-wide effort to expand enrollment. The proposal was compiled by a group of faculty, Ellen Arnold, Amy Downing, Chris Fink, and John Krygier, drawing from 5 years of efforts by ES faculty, staff and students, including content drawn from:

  • 2012 Environmental Studies Program Self Study
  • 2013 Environmental Studies External Program Review
  • 2014 Proposal – OWU Center for the Environment
  • 2014 Proposal – Sustainability Region
  • 2015 Program Case for Support

The Environmental Sustainability Major, if approved by faculty (the vote should happen at the Monday September 19, 4:30 pm faculty meeting), will have three tracks: Food, Climate, and Sustainability. All will involve a significant amount of applied work, theory-into-practice, and internships.

Collaborative efforts with Chris Fink (HHK) over the past few years fleshed out the Food Track in the proposed new major. Much of this is embodied in the Food Minor, passed at the last faculty meeting in the spring. We are formalizing connections with Stratford Farm and the Seminary Hill Farm south of campus, where we placed a dozen or so interns last academic year.

The addition of Nathan Amador to the faculty was central in solidifying our Climate Track for the proposed major. Nathan and Craig Jackson have led the effort on the Climate front.

Finally, the Sustainability Track in the major is the result of the work of faculty, staff and students over the past decade. In particular, Sean Kinghorn (sustainability coordinator, 2012-14), B&G’s Peter Schantz, Chartwell’s Gene Castelli, staff in Res Life and other folks who helped guide well over 100 student sustainability projects.

Laurie Anderson’s efforts have been central to all three tracks in the proposed program, and sustainability on campus in general.

Recent past Sagan National Colloquiums have also infused our proposal with ideas: Sustainability (2008-09), Food (2012-13), Climate (2013-14), Water (2014-15) and Waste (2015-16). All brought an array of scholars to campus, driving home the point that all these environmental and sustainability issues are of significant importance.

Nathan Amador and student Todd D’Andrea spent several weeks in southern Costa Rica this summer, collaborating with Amy Work (OWU ’04) on what we hope will be a long-term component of the Environmental Sustainability program, looking at the local impacts of global environmental change. Nathan organized and led a travel learning course (Fall 2015) that had students working with Amy over the semester break (2015-16) and we plan to return with another travel learning course in the fall of 2017. More info on Amy’s efforts are here.

Thanks to all who have contributed to our efforts over the years: your work is now part of the Environmental Sustainability proposal.


The Sustainability Task Force (STF) initiated in 2008 has been instrumental in moving sustainability forward on campus. Contact Nathan Amador for the date and time of the next STF meeting (and let him know if you want to be added to the STF mailing list). It is open to all.

Students in my Spring 2015 and Spring 2016 Sustainability Practicum not only managed a bevy of ongoing sustainability projects on campus, they also developed a 40 page overview (Spring 2015) of past and present sustainability that was reformed (Spring 2016) into a proposed OWU Sustainability Plan in collaboration with the STF. We also consulted with OWU alumni who work in the field of sustainability.


Finally, last academic year, Jim Peoples, Nick Crane (now at the University of Wyoming) and I managed the Luce Foundation funded initiative on Sustainability in Asia and the West, with a focus on waste and discard studies. This effort, a collaboration between OWU’s East Asian Studies and Environmental Studies Programs, moves forward with an implementation grant we are currently writing. Obviously this effort will sync nicely with the proposed Environmental Sustainability Program. It also corresponds nicely with the development of a Global Studies Center on campus, headed up by Jeremy Baskes, and part of the GLCA’s Global Crossroads program.


Again, thanks for all the efforts on what has been a great cross-disciplinary collaboration between faculty, students, staff and alumni over the past five years.

Internship at the United Nations / Global Sustainability

An internship opportunity from John Romano (OWU 2012) who works for the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network at the United Nations.

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An internship opportunity from John Romano (OWU 2010) who works for the Transparency, Accountability and Participation (TAP) Network at the United Nations.

APPLY HERE

STARTING DATE: ASAP/ DURATION 6 MONTHS

CATEGORY: FULL-TIME (UNPAID) / LOCATION: NEW YORK

Program Overview

The Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network is a broad network of civil society organizations (CSOs) that works to ensure that open, inclusive, accountable and effective governance is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, and that civil society are recognized and mobilized as indispensable partners in the design, implementation of and accountability for sustainable development policies, at all levels.

The TAP Network engages some of the foremost expert organizations on the issues of transparency, accountability and participatory governance. TAP benefits from the invaluable expertise, experiences and unique perspectives of its members, all of whom come together to collaborate on joint work and common positions under the TAP Network umbrella. This work is underpinned by recognition that we maximize reach and influence when many stakeholders speak with a unified voice.

The work of the TAP Network is funded by grants from a group of generous donors, including the Open Society Foundations, Hewlett Foundation and the Omidyar Network.

You can find more about the work of the TAP Network at www.tapnetwork2030.org

Vision:

TAP’s vision for the 2030 Agenda is framed by notions of rule-of-law and the TAP principles of transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, as well as respect for human rights. Effective governance in a 2030 Agenda world requires transparent, participatory and inclusive institutions that are accountable to the very people that the 2030 Agenda intends to engage.

The TAP Network is united in the belief that open, inclusive, accountable and effective governance is both an outcome and an enabler of sustainable and equitable development. The 2030 Agenda framework must promote openness, accountability and effective public institutions, build trust between states and its citizens, and empower civil society to engage in the design, implementation and accountability of public policies, at all levels.

TAP’s work also reflects the will and impetus of the millions of citizens from around the world who voted for ‘an honest and responsive government’ as one of their top priorities in the My World survey – a theme echoed in consultations with people around the world.

Objectives:

To ensure that the TAP principles and inclusive governance underpin the 2030 Agenda, the TAP Network works towards the following objectives:

  • Provide a platform for collaboration between CSOs to mobilize around various TAP issues, working together to produce common positions and statements, and undertake joint advocacy efforts around the 2030 Agenda and related processes.
  • Promote and support the development of transparent, accountable and citizen-inclusive implementation and monitoring mechanisms and processes for the 2030 Agenda framework at all levels.
  • Promote and support active and meaningful civil society engagement in implementation and monitoring mechanisms and processes for the 2030 Agenda framework at all levels.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) is the host organization for the TAP Network, which entails accepting and managing grant funds and hosting the project staff.

The World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) is a global non-profit organization working for a stronger and more effective United Nations. Established in 1946, we represent and coordinate a membership of over 100 United Nations Associations and their thousands of members. We work to build a better world by strengthening and improving the United Nations, through the engagement of people who share a global mindset and support international cooperation- global citizens. Our organization has offices at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, and hosts interns in both locations. www.wfuna.org

Position Description: TAP Network Intern

TAP is currently seeking an Intern who will support the TAP Network Coordinator in the administrative management of the Network, as well as in advocacy, communications and knowledge management for the issue of transparency and accountability in the 2030 Agenda. The intern contract will run for six months.

He/she also will have general WFUNA staff duties.
He/she reports to TAP’s Coordinator
The position is based in WFUNA’s New York office.
To apply the applicant must have a valid U.S. work permit
The main responsibilities of the position will include the following:

  • Assist the TAP Network Coordinator in following all relevant UN processes related to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
    Lead TAP Network’s communications and outreach activities, including website, social media and newsletter.
  • Attend relevant meetings related to the 2030 Agenda and liaise with relevant civil society representatives, UN personnel and diplomats as needed;
  • Coordinate relevant meetings, conference calls and events for the Network, and generate agendas, minutes and any other materials needed to advance TAP coordination and advocacy
  • Support the TAP Coordinator and TAP Steering Committee in coordination of TAP Network activities and work
  • Assist in administrative duties and overall grant management for the programme

INTERN OPPORTUNITIES

  • Access to UN Headquarters in New York: conferences, events and resources
    Professional Development
  • Networking opportunities and ability to liaise with UN staff, diplomats, civil society members from around the world

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Undergraduate degree or higher
  • Applicant must be self-motivated, energetic, vigilant about staying on tasks and meeting deadlines, and willing to engage in such outreach tasks as cold calling
    Strong communications (verbal and written), and solid organizational skills are necessary
  • Experience with social media and website management (experience with WordPress is a plus)
  • Interest in international affairs, sustainable development and good governance
  • Fluency in English is required; knowledge of a foreign language is a plus
    Preference will be given to candidates who possess prior experience/knowledge
  • of the United Nations system and political processes

OWU Food Minor & Association for the Study of Food & Society

The September 2016 Newsletter of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) includes information about OWU’s new Food Minor. It is worth taking a look at the newsletter and also the ASFS organization to get a sense of the breadth of ideas and topics within the emerging field of food studies / food and society.

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Dr. Chris Fink passed along a link to the September 2016 Newsletter of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) which includes information about OWU’s new Food Minor (detailed in an earlier post).

It is worth taking a look at the newsletter and also the ASFS organization to get a sense of the breadth of ideas and topics within the emerging field of food studies / food and society.

 

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For more information about OWU’s new Food Minor please contact Dr. Fink or Dr. Anderson.

 

2016 Richard B. Alexander Award for Excellence in Environmental Studies

Since 2000 the Environmental Studies Program at OWU has awarded our best graduating seniors the Richard B. Alexander Award for Excellence in Environmental Studies, funded by alumni Richard Alexander. For 2016, we had two winners.

Since 2000 the Environmental Studies Program at OWU has awarded our best graduating seniors the Richard B. Alexander Award for Excellence in Environmental Studies, funded by alumni Richard Alexander.

For 2016, we had two winners.

Emily Webb (below, left), originally from Troy, Michigan, graduated Phi Beta Kappa with majors in Zoology and Environmental Studies. She is a member of both the The Wilson Ornithological Society and American Ornithologists’ Union. She’s all about the birds. This fall, she is beginning a PhD in Biology at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Her research at ASU will be with Dr. Kevin McGraw studying bird coloration.

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Emily Webb annoying a Bright-rumped Attila (bird). Allie France wondering why she volunteered to stuff candy and stickers in dozens of reusable water bottles, to help promote OWU’s May Move Out.

Allie France (above, right) is from the Columbus, Ohio area and graduated with majors in Botany and Environmental Studies. Allie became increasingly involved with campus sustainability projects including reusable containers for the dining halls and sustainability efforts and awareness on campus. Allie actually managed to get the reusable food container program launched while off campus, on the other side of the world, in Cape Town, South Africa, during a semester abroad. Indeed, experiences with sustainability efforts in South Africa helped her to see her sustainability work at OWU from a new perspective. During her senior year on campus Allie’s work on a draft campus sustainability plan and other related projects not only made significant contributions to sustainability at OWU, but helped her shape her post-graduation plans. She is currently working, keeping an eye open for sustainability jobs, and planning to start a master’s program in sustainability and conservation.

OWU Food Minor Approved for Fall of 2016

Ohio Wesleyan Faculty approved a minor in Food Studies beginning the fall of 2016. The minor is being facilitated by the Health and Human Kinetics Department and Environmental Studies Program.

Wake-Up

Ohio Wesleyan Faculty approved a minor in Food Studies beginning the fall of 2016. The minor is being facilitated by the Health and Human Kinetics Department and Environmental Studies Program. We are calling the new minor a Mentored Minor as the program has a significant amount of engaged work (at least two semesters of internships or independent study)

Details about the Food minor are in the 2016-2017 OWU Catalog, and are listed below. Please contact Dr. Christopher Fink, Dr. Laurie Anderson, or Dr. John Krygier for more information.

Food Studies Mentored Minor

The Food Studies mentored minor is overseen collaboratively by the OWU Department of Health & Human Kinetics and the Environmental Studies Program, and views food from a multidisciplinary perspective. We recognize the importance of food as biological fuel, as a natural resource with problems of abundance and scarcity, as a focus of celebration, as a human obsession, as a cultural expression, as a multi-billion dollar industry, and as an interaction with the global environment through agriculture and waste disposal. By studying food across a range of disciplines, students in this minor will improve their ability to investigate, debate, and solve some of the most important problems affecting the human condition in the 21st century, including food scarcity, malnutrition, obesity, preserving cultural heritage in a global society, and feeding people in a world of 7 billion and more.

Requirements

To complete the mentored minor, a student must:

  • Identify an owu faculty member associated with the Food Studies minor to serve as their mentor
  • Create A proposal, in collaboration with their mentor, to the food studies faculty contacts, outlining courses and projects that fit with their specific interests in food.
  • Complete 5.5 units of coursework, consisting of:
    • 3 units of courses selected from the list below, 1 unit from each of 3 different departments.
    • The 0.5 unit interdisciplinary Food Seminar (after completion of at least 1 full unit food course)
    • 2 project-based units (Independent Study, Directed Readings, Internship).

Courses

The following are the courses that can be used for the 3 non-seminar and non-project courses required in the minor. As a reminder, students must take the 0.5 unit Interdisciplinary Food Seminar (INT 300.6 – Interdisciplinary Food Seminar), and select three other courses, representing three different departments. They must complete at least 1 full unit of coursework from this list before enrolling in the Food Seminar. The Food Seminar will be offered in alternating years.

  • BIOL 122 – Organisms and their Environment (Anderson, Downing, Hankison, Johnson, Kelly, Reichard)
  • BOMI 103 – Biology of Cultivated Plants (Murray)
  • BOMI 106 – Enology (summer only) (Goldstein)
  • BOMI 107 – Food (summer only) (Wolverton)
  • BOMI 233 – Ecology and the Human Future (Anderson)
  • CMLT 110 – Myth, Legend, and Folklore of the European Continent (Merkel)
  • ENG 145 – Reading: The Global Kitchen (Comorau)
  • GEOG 499 – Sustainability Practicum (Krygier)
  • HHK 114 – Personal Health (Fink, Busch)
  • HHK 270 – Sport and Exercise Nutrition (Fink, Staff)
  • HHK 347 – Special Topics in HHK: A Qualitative Inquiry (Fink)
  • HHK 300.8 (0.5 unit) – Health Program Planning (Fink) and HHK 300.9 (0.5 unit) – Health Education Instructional Methods (Fink)
  • PHIL 250 – Environmental Ethics (Stone-Mediatore)
  • PSYC 262 – Health Psychology (DiLillo)
  • SOAN 111 – Cultural Anthropology (Howard, Peoples)
  • SOAN 347 – Health, Illness, Disability and Dying (Howard)
  • SOAN 367 – Human Ecology (Peoples)
  • ZOOL 101 – Human Biology (Kelly)
  • ZOOL 325 – Human Physiology (Kelly)
  • ZOOL 335 – Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology (Kelly)

Mentors

A current list of mentors can be obtained from the faculty contacts for this minor, Dr. Laurie Anderson (Botany/Microbiology), and Dr. Christopher Fink (Health & Human Kinetics). Faculty mentors will oversee the development of proposals from students, and may also serve as the faculty supervisors of independent studies, directed readings, or apprenticeships.

Food Studies Mentored Minor Faculty Contacts

Dr. Christopher fink (Health & Human kinetics) and Dr. Laurie Anderson (Botany/Microbiology)

 

Summer at the Philmont Scout Ranch: Luke Steffen, OWU 2016

Before starting a job this fall, Spring 2016 Geography and Theater graduate Luke Steffen spent his summer working at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

Top row, from left to right: Luke Steffen, Stuart Babcock, Ricky Yates. Bottom row, from left to right: Rachel Cordeiro, Martha Boucher.
Before starting a job this fall, Spring 2016 Geography and Theater graduate Luke Steffen spent his summer working at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

The Philmont Scout Ranch is the largest High Adventure Scout Camp in the United States of America, encompassing 214 square miles, with programs in neighboring ranches, wilderness areas, and national parks. It is located north of Cimarron, NM, near Taos, an area that encompasses cool mountain forests, desert, and prairie. It was started by Waite Phillips, a wealthy oil executive from Oklahoma who owned ranches out west. In 1938, he donated his property in New Mexico to the Boy Scouts of America, along with an office building in Oklahoma so that the Boy Scouts could rent out office space in order to pay for the maintenance of the massive property. His only conditions of the deal were that at least part of Philmont would remain a fully functional free range cattle ranch, that any member of the Phillips family would be allowed to visit at any time, and that his favorite horse would be taken care of until his death.

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Boy Scouts of America has kept its promises to Waite Phillips; cattle often roam in the valleys, meadows and prairies of the property and are cared for by an excellent team of wranglers. In addition to the ranch, there are many other programs at this massive camp. In Base Camp, there is the Seton Memorial Library and Boy Scout Museum, the Philmont Training Center, the ranch headquarters, and the Villa Philmonte, which was Waite Phillip’s old mansion. In the backcountry, there are camps that offer programs such as gun shooting, burro racing, old western folk crafts, rock climbing, meteorology, fishing, historical reenactment, and musical performances.


13524404_10204956808999419_5022961507994365506_nSome Camp sites are “interpretive,” meaning that they are set in a certain time in the history of the region and the staff are dressed in period clothing, portraying people from that particular time and place. For example, there is Miranda, a beaver trapping mountain man camp set in 1838 that features trap demonstrations and blackpowder rifle shooting, rich cabins, a real homestead settled by Austrian immigrants in the Edwardian era with livestock and farm chores. Cypher’s Mine is a 1912 gold mine that gives mine tours, forge demonstrations, and an evening show. Crater Lake is a logging camp set in 1915 where the campers get to climb wooden spar poles. Other sites are set in the present and focus on an activity like those described above. Scout troops on trek often hike through these backcountry camps and participate in the programs. The conservation department, meanwhile, goes back and forth between base camp and the backcountry, working to prevent pollution or overconsumption, suppress excessive erosion, control wildfires, and maintain trails. The conservation team includes roving work crews, environmental educators, two sustainability watch dogs (who keep track of Philmont’s garbology), invasive species specialists, and a GIS team. The ranch department also straddles both areas of Philmont because they care for the animals in base camp but lead the herds of beef cattle through various meadows in the backcountry.

PM17_CrookedCreekBurroThis summer, I work as a program counselor at Crooked Creek, an interpretive camp set in 1875. We are a family of three brothers, two sisters, and a family friend from Johnson County, Tennessee. We came to the New Mexico Territory in 1869 after our father, a union sympathizer during the Civil War, was killed by confederate soldiers and our mother died of tuberculosis. My coworkers and I give tours of and maintain our period correct cabin, chop and buck wood would for our stove (we do not have propane), and take care of our cow and calf, two burros, two goats, rooster, two hens and seven adolescent Rhode Island Red chickens, all in period garb! We have a poop flinging contest in the evening, where we clean out the pens, followed by a porch show where we sing mid-19th century folk songs. Because there are no roads near by, we haul our supplies in on the backs of our burros! Poop and burrows! What a summer.

In short, I highly recommend applying to work at Philmont to anyone, whether you are currently involved in the BSA or not. It is great fun  for anyone who loves working in the outdoors and will be an excellent learning opportunity for anyone with an academic interest in history, archeology, geology, theatre, music, history, geography, botany, or zoology. Apply in fall 2016 for summer of 2017!


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OWU Green Week 2016 Events: April 18 to 22

OWU Green Week 2016 Events and Activities.

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OWU GREEN WEEK 2016

Monday 4/18: PHYSICAL WASTE

12-1 pm Sagan Speaker in Merrick 3rd Floor, w/free lunch!

Peter Wynn Kirby, University of Oxford, UK: Smuggling, Burning, Burying, Shredding, Knowing: Varieties of Waste Work in East Asia  

KICK OFF: Carry Your Waste Week

To become more aware of the waste we produce every day, you are challenged to carry around everything non-compostable/recyclable in a bag with you all day every day for the rest of the week.

Tuesday 4/19: WATER WASTE

12-1pm Tabling in Hamwil:

Information on Water Waste, GIVE-AWAY: Homemade detergent with DIY Instructions

6:30pm Documentary Night in Benes B:

Last Call to the Oasis with panel discussion to follow including representatives from the Sierra Club and other guest stars

Wednesday 4/20: FOOD WASTE

12-1pm Tabling in Hamwil:

Information on Food Waste, GIVE-AWAY: Bamboo Utensil Set

6:30pm Veggie Meal Night at Tree House:

Come eat delicious, FREE vegetarian grub!

8pm Food Recovery Program in Hamwil:

A program to donate Hamwil’s leftovers to those in need at Grace Clinic

Thursday 4/21: CARBON/ENERGY WASTE

12-1pm Tabling in Hamwil:

Information on Carbon/Energy Waste, GIVE-AWAY: Homemade Hot Drink Sleeves

7pm Sustainability Discussion in Corns 312:

Come share your input and hear from experts about sustainability with dining services, the community garden, and the sustainability plan at OWU.

Friday 4/22: EARTH DAY on the JAY

Tabling during Day on the JAY!:

Help us celebrate EARTH DAY by coming by our table to hear about MERMAID CONSERVATION!  GIVE-AWAY: Bike-blended smoothies!

ALL WEEK: SUPPORT THE ART DEPARTMENT AND THE PLANET BY PURCHASING A HANDMADE CLAY WATER BOTTLE OR THERMOS!

Partially funded through WCSA   

email chhastin@owu.edu with any questions

Mapping / GIS / Water Quality Internships at Delaware County Water Company

Two paid internships at Delaware County Water Company (just a few miles south of OWU’s campus) are currently available.

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Two paid internships at Delaware County Water Company (just a few miles south of OWU’s campus) are currently available. Contact email for both internships is information@delcowater.com


GIS/GPS Data Collection Intern: Assist in the collection of the Del-Co Geographic Information System (GIS) Data. See PDF below for more information.

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Water Quality Technician – Intern: Essential duties include: assist in the development of Del-Co watershed and source water protection strategies, perform water quality sampling of Del-Co reservoirs, receiving streams, source water, and watershed. See PDF below for more information.

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