STEM Outreach

The graduate students in our lab often do more than just teach and research. PhD student Dana, has spent the last year as one of the University of Oregon Women in Graduate Science outreach co-chairs. She got to design and implement fun science events for kids of all ages.  She worked with the Eugene Science Center for their GIRLS’ Science Adventure Days, Ophelia’s Place for their STEAM Workshop, and the University of Oregon’s Summer Academy to Inspire Learning, Chemistry Camp to create eye opening yet messy science experiments. She got to make liquid nitrogen ice cream, marker robots, density columns, fossil casts and more!

You can check out some more of what she did:
 https://blogs.uoregon.edu/uowgs/
https://mirandadaviduk.com/women-in-stem/

Kelsey Stilson: Integrative Biology and the furby?

Kelsey Stilson, a lab alum who graduated in 2013, is taking integrative biology to whole new heights by dissecting furbys! We love the fun idea of comparing them to modern animals while also diving into their design and engineering. Although it is a bit morbid to see them without fur, one might say they were pretty creepy anyway.

Check out her dissection page here for more furbys: http://www.kstilson.com/furby-dissection.html

Holley’s Summer at Badlands National Park

Holley, a Master’s student working with Edward Davis, has been spending the summer away from Oregon working as a fossil preparator at Badlands National Park

“I’m supported by the Geoscientists in the Parks (GIP) internship program. The GIP program is a faction of Americorps and the Conservation Legacy that has paired with the Geological Society of America to get students into government internships. I’ve had a nice 12 weeks in Badlands preparing Eocene and Miocene mammal fossils. The prep lab at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center is unique in that as preparators work visitors can see the process and ask questions to better understand all the work that goes into displaying fossils.”

Congrats Holley! We are excited to hear about all the Eocene fossils and your time at the visitor center!