SOUTHERN MISS ORGANIZATION HOSTED THE HAUNTED HALLOWEEN TRAIL
The University of Southern Mississippi Roots N’ Shoots chapter hosted the Haunted Halloween Biology Trail from 4 -7 p.m. Friday, October 30th in the
Biological Sciences Learning Center, located in the basement of Mississippi Hall on the Hattiesburg campus.
The event was free of charge and open to the community. The trail was designed by students for children ages 4-12 and represented a revised version of the
standard biology trail with unique, exciting and spooky twists.
The trail was launched in 2005 to create a hands-on learning activity to engage Southern Miss students in getting children in the community excited about
biology and science. This year over 225 children and adults participated in the trail despite the inclement weather that moved through the city. The 11
stations were created and led by 21 USM students. “Our haunted trail is staffed by students interested in biology who provide creative, fun and interesting
ways to learn about fossils, arthropods, and vertebrates,” said Aimee T. Lee, biological sciences instructor. There were also over 20 students who served as
tour guides and provided entertainment while families waited for their turn.
Lee says the children learned about live animals, participated in a fossil dig, touched bones of different animals, and experienced the world of chemistry by
witnessing a chemical eruption. They also learned about different animals that produce bioluminescence and how they can prevent polluting our environment.
“At one station, children learned about marine science and were given a treat of goldfish crackers,” said Lee. “We tie the treats to each specific learning
area. The trail was developed as a fun way for the entire family to experience biology with an exciting, spooky twist at Halloween.”
Roots N’ Shoots involves youths and college students who enjoy learning about and servicing their communities. Students plan and implement projects to
benefit people, animals and the environment.
The Southern Miss chapter was established in 2005 with the help of Lynn Houston and Hattiesburg High School students. Globally, Roots N’ Shoots engages
students through community service learning opportunities and activities.
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES PLANT SALE
It’s time for the Biological Sciences Plant Sale! The Fall sale will be September 26th from 8 a.m – 2 p.m. As usual, the sale will be located in front of the Biological Sciences Teaching Garden on the east side of Walker Science Building.
Azaleas and Camellias: We have our biggest selection of camellias ever. We have Pink Perfection! For azaleas, we’ll focus on fall bloomers and repeat bloomers.
Natives: Fall is the time for beautyberry and we have plenty of Callicarpa amricana on hand. As usual, we have a nice assortment of berry-producing natives for attracting birds. We finally have a male pollinator for your winterberries. We’ll have just a few Gordonia lasianthus. BIG NEWS: We’ll have two special magnolia species. Magnolia macrophylla and the rarest North American magnolia, Magnolia ashei.
Fruit Trees: By popular request, we’ve greatly expanded our selection of fruits. We have apples, pears, papaya, plums, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, figs and muscadines. Wow! We also have the classic Pineapple Guava. Asparagus isn’t a fruit, but you can eat it and we’ll have it!
Asian selections: Our Asian selections have been really popular. We have some really nice Japanese Maples. We’ll have a new Chinese Mahonia variety that can’t be found yet in the Pine Belt. Edgeworthia, Japanese Blueberry, Kadsura Vine, Evergreen Solomon Seal, and Nippon Lily are some of the rare selections we’ll have in stock. For the first time ever, we’ll have Dawn Redwood. Quantities are limited (and they’re expensive : ( ). As always, you can Go Gold with a new Ginkgo.
Ferns: We’ll have at least TEN species of ferns for sale!
Tropicals: Our tropical selection is limited this fall, but we’ll have two new selections: Zingiber zerumbet and Alocasia lauterbachiana. We’ll also have Midnight Ginger and Mickey Mouse Taro.
Classic selections: No southern garden is complete without Sweet Olive, Banana Shrub, Forsythia, and Gardenia. New classics include Dwarf Abelia, Silver Mist Juniper, Florida Jasmine and Knockout Roses. Although Cleyera is not particularly unusual, our Cleyera is huge!
Proceeds will benefit the BSC Teaching Gardens and Outreach Programs including the USM Blueberrification Project and Butterfly Gardens at several local schools. Come get your hands dirty and help support the beautification of Southern Miss!
Click here to view an availability and price list! E-mail Mike.Davis@usm.edu, if you would like to reserve items on the list.
Happy Gardening!
RUSSIAN BIOLOGIST VISITS USM TO STUDY MIGRATORY BIRDS
This fall, the Migratory Bird Research Group welcomes Dr. Nikita Chernetsov,
a Senior Research Fellow with the Rybachy Biological Station, which is part
of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Science.
Rybachy, one of the world's first ornithological stations, is located on the Cornish Spit of
the Baltic Sea, where bird migration has beens studied since 1901. Nikita, who will
participate in field work and share expertise during his visit, presents a departmental
seminar on October 2.
Dr. MOHAMED ELASRI - PRESIDENT-ELECT
OF MISSISSIPPI ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (MAS).
Congratulations to Dr. Mohamed Elasri on his election as President-elect of
the Mississippi Academy of Sciences (MAS). Today is exciting time to be interested
in science; consider joining the Academy:
http://www.msacad.org/
ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION,
AND THE ENVIRONMENT INFORMAL NOONTIME SERIES
Join other students and faculty in an informal noontime series focused on Ecology,
Evolution, and the Environment (E3) every Wednesday in Bobby Chain Technology 106.
E3 provides a relaxed atmosphere to talk about exciting research ongoing at Southern Miss.
Click here for a schedule of informal talks.
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