The Jean McLaughlin Outdoor Education and Research Center (JMOERC), located about a 5-minute drive west of campus, is the hub for all things field science at USAO. It’s location on the USAO Habitat acreage allows for many workshops to immerse students in nature. JMOERC’s free, upcoming workshop Friday, Sept. 29 is no different.
The Insect and Herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) Night Walk will allow participants to walk through the USAO Habitat, search for creatures, and identify what they see. Participants will also learn the basics of insect identification and trapping methods.
Dr. Jason Shaw, professor of biology, will lead a workshop with Bill Berumen, USAO alumni, and Clayton Faidley, wildlife biologist and herpetologist. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., registered students can look forward to learning about the insects that can come out at night and enjoy the possibility of seeing some reptiles or amphibians in their natural habitat. Dr. Shaw said he hopes that the amphibians and replies will be identified and will give people a chance to really experience nature.
“I like to see people getting to interact with animals and see them get excited about seeing new and different things,” Dr. Shaw said, when asked about what he was looking forward to the most.
The Insect and Herpetofauna Night Walk isn’t the only workshop that will be taking place this school year, as Dr. Rachel Jones, dean of the science and physical education department, said she is in the works of planning many different and diverse workshops. Alongside Dr. Shaw, Dr. Jones has been spearheading the planning of these workshops since the fall of 2022, with the drive to bring the community and USAO together more through science.
The following is a list of the official workshops that are planned to be held this fall trimester and the upcoming spring trimester:
Sept. 29: Insect and Herpetofauna Night Walk
Oct. 14: Partial Solar Eclipse Viewing Community Event
Nov. 18: Working and Processing Natural Clay Community Event
Feb. 17: Making Cheese Workshop (partnership with local Chickasha dairy farmers)
Mar. (date TBD): Get Gardening Community Workshop (partnership with Chickasha Ross Seed Company and 3J Farms)
Apr. 26: Making your own Plant Pigments and Landscape Watercolor
May 11: Migratory Bird Day (bird watching/photography with Johnny Trammell)
To register for the Insect and Herpetofauna Night Walk, follow the link: https://alumni.usao.edu/e/herpnight/
Bea Bourland is a second-year biology and environmental science major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
