Since the dawn of time, people have feared, fought and sought to control fire.According to USA Today, fires are currently burning in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. Just last week, 5,000 people fled the west Canadian town of Jasper. Before summer began—almost 90,000 acres of Californian grassland burned—15 times more than a year ago.Even in Russia’s far east, a jaw-dropping 12.8 million acres of forest today are being scorched.Fortunately, no wildfires...
Most internships are pretty cool. They give students hands-on experience and a chance to see if a career field really suits them.But John Hollis’ three-part internship was much more than that. It was an adventure. A real expedition—trekking past hot springs; vast fields of spikey purple flowers, forests of towering pines, barren ravines, rocky-cliff beaches and spectacular waterfalls. He even visited the volcanic eruption site that caused the town of Grindavík to be evacuated in Nov...
Not only did Junior Ivan Yuan Chu get offered an REU this summer—a Research Experiences for Undergraduates from the National Science Foundation—he got six.The biology major from Hazelhurst, Georgia, chose the 10-week, 2024 Bio REU Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana to work on possible pancreatic cancer treatments. He chose Notre Dame, because the atmosphere there was much like his experience at Georgia College & State University—rigorous...
The variety of plants surrounding Athens, Georgia, are well documented and cataloged. This isn’t the case for Baldwin County and Middle Georgia.But students and faculty in the herbarium at Georgia College & State University are working to change that. “The majority of our samples are from Georgia, and mostly Baldwin County,” said Dr. Gretchen Ionta, associate professor of environmental science and current curator of Georgia College’s herbarium. “Around Athens there’s a ton of herbarium...
Some people love the red-eyed buzzing critters. Others can’t wait for them to go.But for soil ecologists like Dr. Bruce Snyder, these last few weeks are a waning opportunity to learn more about periodical cicadas and the lasting impact they leave behind.The clock is ticking. Soon, millions of cicadas from the Great Southern Brood XIX will go silent. They won’t be back until 2037.“When they’re gone, they’re gone,” said Snyder recently, as he checked multiple wire cages and netted traps...
They don’t sting, and they don’t bite. They don’t suck blood. They won’t make you itch. And your garden is safe. But miniature exoskeletons might be attached to your house. You might see flickers of red-and-black buzz by. Over the weekend, you might’ve heard a monotonous droning begin. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, and your ears are just fine. They are cicadas, part of the Great Southern Brood XIX that reemerge every 13 years. And, despite some maps showing their arrival only...
Scientist Annsli Hilton, ’22, has been fascinated by the ocean and its wildlife for as long as she can remember. Her earliest memory of exploring ocean wildlife is a project she made in kindergarten on great white sharks. In her current role as a research associate with the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, she’s contracted with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Southeast Science Center. Hilton was a...
Since 2014, the United Nations has set aside the 5th of December to educate people about the importance of healthy soil. In time for this year’s international World Soil Day celebration, students in Dr. Bruce Snyder’s soil ecology class finished their final project for the semester—children’s books about dirt and critters of this unseen underworld that help nourish the Earth’s soil, water, forests and air. For the UN, it’s a day to focus attention on the ground beneath our feet, while...
To say something ‘has legs’ means it has longevity and staying power. That surely fits millipedes then, because they’ve been around forever. Thought to be earth’s first creature to leave water and breathe on land—the creeping, burrowing arthropods are essential for healthy soil and forests. Then there are those legs. Lots of them. Their legs help millipedes forage and feed, making them the ultimate composters—nature’s No. 1 soldier in waste management. They’re responsible for breaking...
