ACADEMICS
across disciplines and universities. The Mega-Transect project will further be incorporated into curriculum of Jessup’s new Environmental Science program.
COLLABORATION WITH CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FISH AND WILDLIFE As I neared completion of my Ph.D. at U.C. Davis, I fostered a collaborative relationship with Dr. Brett Furnas, Senior Environmental Scientist with California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Dr. Furnas oversees a very extensive wildlife monitoring project for CDFW through- out the state. Our idea was to combine the mega-transect protocols with Dr. Furnas’ wildlife monitoring in order to better survey remote mountain wilderness regions. Specifically, we combined the use of automated bird recorders with point counts along the PCT. In 2010, we completed surveys along a 430-mile stretch of the PCT in Northern California to the Oregon border with CDFW.
JESSUP’S NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE PROGRAM AND THE PCT MEGA-TRANSECT Having developed the new B.A. and B.S. degree in Envi- ronmental Science here at Jessup in 2014, my plan is to fully integrate the PCT Mega-Transect into course cur- riculum. In several of the courses students will learn the ecological methods and theory behind the Mega-Tran- sect, which will also give students valuable scientific and technical skills for environmental careers or graduate school. As part of their coursework, students can be involved in every aspect of the research, from planning and design, fieldwork and data collection, analysis, to the write-up of peer-reviewed publications. I intend that the Mega-Transect be a long-term biodiversity monitor- ing project impacting undergraduate students and their future careers, and ultimately, our society and culture by fostering the academic growth of future scientists and environmental professionals with a distinctive Christian perspective.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT ACROSS CCCU CAMPUSES The PCT Mega-Transect is also a collaborative effort across several member universities of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU.) In June of 2015, Jessup hosted a conference for faculty from these universities to discuss opportunities, methods, and research questions that could be addressed with the Mega-Transect approach. As a result of this conference, several universities signed a Memorandum of Under- standing (MOU) with Jessup. Each signatory university includes a faculty member who will champion involve- ment at their home institution and bring to the project a wide range of talent and expertise. Dr. Ben Brammell , Associate Professor of Biology at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, will pioneer the
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use of a cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) tech- nique to expand surveys to aquatic habitats along the PCT. This technique can detect the presence of aquatic vertebrates (amphibians and fish) simply based on the DNA left behind in the water from sloughed off cells (skin cells, eggs, feces, etc.). In July of 2015, with the help of an undergraduate
assistant, Dr. Brammell and I completed pilot work to test out this technique in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. We collected samples at 40 different sites along a 60-mile stretch of the PCT wherever the trail intersected streams and lakes. Dr. Brammell, along with his students at AU, is presently analyzing the eDNA samples in his lab. We are hoping to detect several endangered amphibians (e.g., Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog, Rana sierrae, and Southern Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog, R. muscosa) that occur along this section of the PCT. Other CCCU members have signed the MOU including
Houghton College in Houghton, New York. Dr. Aaron Sullivan, Chair of the Biology Department at Houghton, has a keen interest in exploring methods that expand our biodiversity surveys to include reptiles and amphibians. Dr. Terrance O’Casey, Associate Professor of Christian Ministry and Biblical Studies at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Oregon, plans to be involved with his students in the logistics and field work. The PCT Mega-Transect collaboration will likely continue to grow as other CCCU universities consider their involvement.
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES We are working to expand the experiential learning and educational impacts of the PCT Mega-Transect to our undergraduates across disciplines in addition to the environmental sciences, including our Departments of English, Business, the School of Education, and Kinesiology.
Dr. Portia Hopkins, chair of the Department of English, suggested the following approach involving students who wish to document experiences, “One idea for partnership amongst various disciplines in the PCT Mega-Transect project involves embedding a professional writing student as a member of the research team. The internship opportunity for the writing student is obvious– he or she will strengthen skills in technical, scientific, and educational writing in the public arena by completing such tasks as maintaining a blog and producing reports that record not only the scientific discoveries of the team, but also the experiences of the researchers.”
Dr. Harry E. Snodgrass, associate professor of Business also envisions involving his students. “The PCT Mega-Transect initiative involves a responsibility that is shared (or should be) by all believers - the protection and stewardship of Creation. As such, the project provides an
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