IPE, WonderLab team up to offer hands-on environmental experience for local middle school students

by Regan Mangrum, 2022 IPE Social Media Intern

The Indiana University Integrated Program in the Environment (IPE) and local children’s science museum, WonderLab, partnered for the first time in 2022 to host WonderCamp – Field Lab, an experience geared towards rising seventh- and eighth-grade students. WonderCamp took place at the IPE Field Lab at Griffy Woods, part of IU’s Research and Teaching Preserve (RTP), in July. The experience was led by Bloomington High School North science teacher and former RTP Research Scientist Angie Shelton, along with property manager Michael Chitwood.

During the week, campers participated in scientific research alongside IU faculty and learned how to be advocates for the environment as part of an investigatory week of fun. Each day was led by a different instructor focusing on a specific topic.:

• O’Neill Novick Lab Manager and naturalist Mike Voyles and Ph.D. candidate Daniela Cala Suarez led the campers in a hands-on experience to learn the difference between hardwood and softwood trees while manually cranking the tree-coring device in a white pine versus a black cherry. The campers then examined the cores, burrs, and other natural resources under microscopes in the RTP lab.
• Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Curator Melody Pope taught participants the history of the RTP property. Though the 185-acres at Griffy Woods are now protected land outfitted with a LEED certified field lab, the site was once a former city and university dump site, a shooting range, an important source of drinking water, and an ecological research site. The students also helped sort fragmented soda bottles unearthed from the dig.
• O’Neill faculty Sarah Powers and her limnology lab interns led students in a stream quality assessment project by collecting qualitative and quantitative data based on the statewide Hoosier Riverwatch program.
• School of Public Health faculty Dr. Brian Forist led campers through the biophilia hypothesis – a theory that humans have a genetic predisposition toward affiliation with other living things. Dr. Forist then led the campers in activities such as forest bathing, plant and animal identification, and more.
• Angie Shelton ended the camp by discussing the impacts of deer herbivory, tying all the topics together.

Families and campers interested in future IPE and WonderLab programming should keep an eye on the IPE website.

About WonderLab

The WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology is an award-winning science museum and 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization located in the heart of Bloomington, Indiana. WonderLab provides opportunities to experience the wonder and excitement of science through interactive exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity, encourage exploration, connect to the arts and everyday life, and foster lifelong learning.

About IPE

IPE is jointly administered by IUB’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, School of Public Health, and College of Arts + Sciences. IPE’s interdisciplinary nature reflects a commitment to preparing the next generation of scientists, policy-makers, communicators, and leaders who face significant and complex environmental and sustainability challenges.