Experiential Summer Learning Opportunities in the Field at UC

Want to learn more about the wildflowers and geologic formations that make up the environment around Cincinnati? Curious about how previous generations of humans survived climate change? Three courses at the

UC Center for Field Studies

and on UC’s Uptown Campus are being offered as noncredit courses. The classes provide an opportunity for the general public to be enriched by learning from top faculty both in the classroom and in the field.

“I can think of no better way to learn about these topics than to spend some time exploring them at the UC Center for Field Studies,” said David Lentz, professor and director of the center. “We designed the classes to offer a valuable academic experience for students of all levels.”

Courses offered in a noncredit format include:

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Wildflowers of Ohio

. May 12-30; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (UC Uptown Campus); Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (UC Center for Field Studies). For the non-biology major, this course provides an introduction to the diversity of the families of flowering plants, with an emphasis on plants growing wild in the Ohio/Indiana area. Students will learn the plant anatomy and terminology involved in the acquisition of plant identification skills and will learn about the ecology of plants encountered on field trips. May is a great time to look at spring wildflowers.

•    

Field Geology in Cincinnati

. May 12-30; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (UC Uptown Campus); Saturdays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (UC Center for Field Studies). Students will explore and discover firsthand through field trips and field-based exercises our landscape and geologic history, as well as our local geologic hazards of landslides, hillslope mass movement, and flooding. The goal of this field-based course is to understand how our landscape formed/its inherent hazards, and the geologic foundation upon which it is built.

•    

Field Research in Midwest Archaeology: Surviving Climate Change

. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; UC Center for Field Studies and/or Big Bone Lick State Park. The purpose of the course is to provide a hands-on, learn-by-doing, instruction of archaeological field methods including site survey (transit and GPS), drill core analysis, geophysics, and excavation. Scientifically, the objective of this study is to collect data that can be used to answer questions about past human adaptation to climate change. You can

read about last summer's Surviving Climate Change

class online, and watch the video posted below to learn more.