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...
Junior Parker Luke Wilson can tell you firsthand how after-school jobs and study abroad help you zero in on a correct career path, boost your skills and put you ahead of others in the job market. Growing up with a love for animals, Wilson got his first crack at being a veterinarian assistant as a senior in high school working at Gadd’s Animals Doctors of Gray. Since then, he’s been on track to double major in biology and Spanish at Georgia College & State University, while getting...
At her North Carolina internship this summer, Anna Agi was able to introduce the water-quality company to a few things about diatoms—a form of microscopic, single-celled algae with glass cell walls that converts light into energy. Diatoms generate up to 25% of the earth’s oxygen and are found in almost every aquatic environment from freshwater to the ocean. “It’s important to get involved in research if you’re in a science background, because it opens your mind and doors to so many...
Imagine being up-close and personal with Costa Rican rainforest wildlife. Georgia College & State University senior biology major Amelia Pound of Savannah did just that. For two weeks, she worked alongside veterinarians in Costa Rica, helping its native creatures stay healthy. Pound was selected as part of a small team of students who volunteered to care for sloths, peccaries (pigs), kinkajous (squirrel-like creatures), capuchin and spider monkeys, macaws and other colorful parrots,...
