Sometime in the spring of 2008, Amy Miller found herself sitting at a table in the Ohio State University’s rec center, pondering what she might do that summer. Her eyes landed on a Stone Lab ad sitting on the table top, and she immediately thought, “Stone Lab! That’s a good idea.” It was a revelation that has led to two very busy summers on Gibraltar Island and a lot of new experiences.
“I feel like I’ve learned so much from just being here, being exposed to so many new things because everything is hands-on,“ Amy explains. “You get thrown into different situations with a variety of equipment, doing things that you’d never get to do on main campus. When you actually get to experience something instead of just hearing about it, you learn how to do it really well.”
I feel like I’ve learned so much from just being here, being exposed to so many new things because everything is hands-on.
She’s definitely learned a lot and taken advantage of a number of programs available to Stone Lab students. That first summer, Amy, who is now a Senior in the School of Natural Resources at Ohio State, took a course in Field Ecology during the first term while working part-time for the Lab. The second term had her taking Introductory Ethology while also collecting data for her Research Experience for Undergraduates project that contributed to an ongoing study that is tracking the spread of the emerald ash borer in the Lake Erie Islands. Her focus was on South Bass and Gibraltar.
“I walked around and found as many ash trees as I could,” she explains. “I measured the diameter to get an idea of the tree size, marked it with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, and then rated its health on a scale 1-3. At the end I had a map with color-coded GPS points based on those health scores. I was looking for the center of the epidemic, probably the entry point where the borers would have come in, but I didn’t find anything definite. My conclusion was that the borer is probably there—and there are definitely signs of ash tree decline—but their numbers are just not high enough yet for us to see it easily.”
It’s fun to see kids from all different places get excited about things they might never have experienced or thought they would enjoy before.
In April 2009 she got yet another perspective on the day-to-day workings of the nation’s oldest freshwater biological field station when she became a Stone Lab workshop instructor. It’s given her a chance to teach kids grades 4 and up about Lake Erie science, in addition to taking on a variety of special projects.
“Amy has shown great leadership skills, which has allowed us to turn her loose on projects like landscaping, painting, and recycling, as well as leading group tours and workshops on Gibraltar Island, at the South Bass Island Lighthouse, and at the Aquatic Visitors Center,” says John Hageman, Stone Laboratory Co-Manager and Amy’s supervisor. “She also developed a special bird lecture for the two Elderhostel groups we hosted this spring that was extremely well-received.”
Overall, the experience has broadened her thoughts about future careers. “I’m actually considering teaching, now that I’ve done it,” Amy reveals. “That wasn’t something I’d thought of before, but I really like working with the kids and teaching the workshops. It’s fun to see kids from all different places get excited about things they might never have experienced or thought they would enjoy before.” Whatever she chooses to do in the long term, these new-found teaching skills may come in handy sooner rather than later: after graduation, Amy’s considering a stint in the Peace Corps.
