Field Biology Students Publish Their Work
Millbrook science students are being published!!
Millbrook’s Field Biology elective encourages students to explore the woods and wetlands of our 800-acre campus for immersion in the natural world. Class members use purpose-built backpack research kits to facilitate their specific areas of scientific inquiry. The kits were developed with citizen scientists in mind and are part of a curriculum in which students do field research, write a research paper to hone their technical writing skills, and then write an interpretive piece meant to elucidate their findings to a wider audience. Alec Enchill's also went birdwatching, and his work was recently published by the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI). Alec is a Vth form student in the Field Biology course taught by Science Department Chair Ava Goodale '01.
In Alec's piece, Learning to Love iNautralist, he shares his experience working collaboratively and highlights how generations young and old can contribute to the scientific community. BRI published his work and shared via social channels the following excerpt from Alec's essay:
BRI additionally shared the following statement: "We are so proud of Alec and his classmates for their work that directly contributes to BRI's core mission of assessing threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research."
See the link to Alec's full piece on BRI's website below, and check back for links to the other published pieces by Forrest Schmitt '23 (featured in Waterman’s Newsletter and soon in the NYS Bluebird Society) and Nathan Rebello '23!
Learning to Love iNaturalist by Alec Enchill '23
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Millbrook’s Field Biology elective encourages students to explore the woods and wetlands of our 800-acre campus for immersion in the natural world. Class members use purpose-built backpack research kits to facilitate their specific areas of scientific inquiry. The kits were developed with citizen scientists in mind and are part of a curriculum in which students do field research, write a research paper to hone their technical writing skills, and then write an interpretive piece meant to elucidate their findings to a wider audience.
This semester, student field biologists did projects on birdwatching, wildlife counts, water quality analysis, invasive plants, butterflies, among others. With research papers completed, the field biologists wrote interpretive communications to be shared and published. Forrest Schmitt focused on five bird boxes and recorded observations on inhabitants and their activities. Nate Rebello collected water samples from the stream along School Road and analyzed them for pollutants for use by the Dutchess Land Conservancy. Jo’el Emanuel went birding and logged his observations on eBird, a service of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
In Alec's piece, Learning to Love iNautralist, he shares his experience working collaboratively and highlights how generations young and old can contribute to the scientific community. BRI published his work and shared via social channels the following excerpt from Alec's essay:
"Through my experiences this fall, I've finally come to the realization that my work can also inspire others to join efforts to help the natural world. Since I can collaborate with a bigger organization whether that's a summer-time internship or actually trying to apply for a job. Making a contribution that has an impact on a larger scale for biodiversity for different ecosystems gives me a good feeling inside. Just playing a role in taking care of biodiversity should make anybody's day. My librarian, Mrs. Scherman, here at Millbrook once told me that 'Small impacts from around the world can change the world for the better.' It is everyone's duty to make the world a better place for future generations."
BRI additionally shared the following statement: "We are so proud of Alec and his classmates for their work that directly contributes to BRI's core mission of assessing threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research."
See the link to Alec's full piece on BRI's website below, and check back for links to the other published pieces by Forrest Schmitt '23 (featured in Waterman’s Newsletter and soon in the NYS Bluebird Society) and Nathan Rebello '23!
Learning to Love iNaturalist by Alec Enchill '23
Other Field Biology Projects
Invasive Plants, Cary Institute: Sebastian Wood
Curiosity Cabinet, Millbrook School: Jack Curtis
Pollinator Survey, Sharon Audubon Center: Calix Milligan-Fernandez
Monarch Watch, Sharon Audubon Center: Ryan DeSousa
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