The Jean McLaughlin Outdoor Education and Research Center (JMOERC) is a building located at the USAO Habitat with the goal to provide outdoor knowledge to community members, as well as students enrolled in land-based courses, such as landscape painting or plant and fungal biology.
Every trimester, there are multiple events held at JMOERC to provide an educational opportunity to people in the community. For the fall 2024 trimester, four events will be held: Insect Night, Wine and Cheese Night, Beer and Brats, and Pumpkin Baking and Holiday Macrame. All of these events are free to attend and open to the public.
Friday, Sept. 20 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., Dr. Jason Shaw, professor of biology, and Dr. Mike Mather, emeritus faculty member, will host Insect Night. This event will give people an opportunity to see local insects and capture them by using lights or by walking around and looking.
“My goal is to get people outside to experience nature, experience seeing things we are not used to seeing, or we can hear but maybe not be able to see, and this is a way to allow them to do that,” Dr. Shaw said.
Friday, Sept. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Dr. Rachel Jones, Dean of Science and Kinesiology, and Dr. Jeannette Loutsch, professor of biology, will host Wine and Cheese Night. In this event, everyone will have the opportunity of learning how to ferment fruits into alcohol and how to make cheese. To attend this workshop, participants must be at least 21 years old and have a valid identification card with them.
“People are fascinated by fermenting, and anything related to gardening or making cheese or wine, those seem to be what hits most in our community,” Dr. Jones said.
Friday, Oct. 25 from 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Dr. Jones and Dr. Loutsch will host Beers and Brats. This workshop stems from a food camp Dr. Loutsch held a year ago, where she taught people how to make their own bratwursts. During this workshop, participants will learn how to brew their own beer and to make their own bratwursts from scratch. This workshop will also require all participants to be at least 21 and have a valid identification card.
Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dr. Jones and Dr. Loutsch will host their final JMOERC workshop for the trimester which is Pumpkin Baking and Holiday Macrame. In this workshop, participants will learn how to turn pumpkins into various treats, such as pies and muffins. Along with this, they will make macrame, a type of fiber art. Macrame typically uses rope that is tied into knots with cords or yarn and can be used as decoration or plant holders. Both aspects of the workshop look forward to helping everyone for the holiday season with sweet treats and a potential gift to a loved one.
“We have a good time, there is a significant amount of laughing, cooking, mess making, and mess clean up. It’s a unique way to share what I think a lot of people think of as old practices, but they are not,” Dr. Loutsch said.
To stay up to date with JMOERC, follow them on Instagram (@jmoerc). To sign up for these events, follow the links below.
Insect Night – Friday, Sept. 20 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Wine and Cheese Night – Friday, Sept. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Beer and Brats – Friday, Oct. 25 from 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Pumpkin Baking and Holiday Macrame – Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Luka Messick is a second-year physics major at the Univeristy of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
