ACADEMICS
I CAN IDENTIFY ABOUT 200 SPECIES OF CALIFORNIA BIRDS BY EAR AND ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF OUR BIRD DETECTIONS WERE AUDIBLE-ONLY DETECTIONS.
opportunity for students to engage in a ‘real-world’ (as opposed to theoretical) endeavor to participate in this obligation. Specifically for business students, the proposed research program will allow nonprofit management students to engage in the development of social and entrepreneurial strategies and the practical application of
classroom learning to a living and breathing organization.”
Dr. Eric Bull, professor, School of Education, has some wonderful ideas to connect local K-8 teachers with our students on the project. “I would see participation of in-service teachers, colleagues, school sites and communities as contributors to data collection relative to sites near their schools…this being an integral part of something bigger than themselves which will encourage collaboration, attention to detail and the ability to make meaningful connections to real-world applications related to mathematics and science. Jessup students could be involved in being Jessup representatives who would oversee area schools, as facilitators, to manage data collection and response.”
Dr. Scott Roberts, professor and chair, Department of Kinesiology, believes there is a tremendous opportunity to engage kinesiology students in learning about and con- ducting research involving how the human body responds and adapts to conditions of moderate to extreme environmental conditions like those encountered along the PCT. “I believe the PCT Mega-Transect project provides an opportunity to build upon knowledge related to how to prepare for physical activity per- formed in challenging environmental conditions. The PCT Mega-Transect project creates an opportunity for controlled, longitudinal field-based
environmental human physiology research which traditionally is very difficult to establish and maintain.”
NEXT STEPS In collaboration with the CDFW and our CCCU collaborators, we are planning the fieldwork for next season (late May through late July 2016.) Over 10 weeks, we will resurvey the same 430 mile section of the PCT in Northern California that we completed in 2010. Faculty mentors, accompanied by student assistants, will
conduct
point counts for birds, deploy automated bird recorders, rapidly assess the habitat, and employ eDNA survey techniques for aquatic vertebrates. To participate in the project, students will enroll in a five-week field course (with the option of participating in either of two five-week sessions within the field season). More experienced and senior
students will have the opportunity to receive paid internship positions through the CDFW. Our goal eventually is to implement these protocols
to survey biodiversity
across the entire length of the PCT, from Mexico to Canada, in a single field season. We envision the Mega-Transect to become a long-term monitoring
Environmental Studies Chair, Dr. Michael McGrann is on a fundraising mission. McGrann seeks to take Jessup students and his collaborators’ students from across several CCCU campuses to participate in a Pacific Crest Trail Mega-Transect research program for next field season (summer 2016). McGrann received partial funding from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but needs to raise matching funds to cover student tuition, transpor- tation and equipment expenses.
To learn more about making a donation to help students engage in this rare opportunity to participate in on-going ecological research along the PCT, contact Dr. McGrann at 916-577-8066.
THE WILDERNESS IS YOUR CLASSROOM
BIODIVERSITY STUDY PROGRAM: PCT MEGATRANSECT Do you have a passion for science and nature?
Get credit while backpacking five weeks on the Pacific Crest Trail. WJU is offering a field oriented course (5 units) in summer of 2016 to participate in an ecological study open to both WJU and off-campus students.
For more information and to apply, contact:
Dr. Michael McGrann
Email:
mmcgrann@jessup.edu Phone: 916-577-8066
project that has an impact on the applied sciences, informing conser- vation decisions. And, perhaps the most rewarding aspect, is the impact on students’ academic and spiritual growth and providing an experience to share with future generations.
JESSUP MAGAZINE 9
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