Students help prevent erosion at local creek

The Laboratory Experience is a class offered through New College that has recently completed a project with the non-profit organization Friends of Hurricane Creek.

Julia A. Cherry, assistant professor in New College and biological sciences said her class participated in this project anchoring steps near the creek.

"The wooden parts of the steps had been started by another group and we came in to anchor the steps and prevent them from washing away during high water events," she said. "And at the end, we placed dried leaves on the cement so that when it dried and the leaves decomposed, impressions of the leaves would remain and the steps would leaf impression and have a very natural look."

Kristin Schneider, a sophomore double majoring in business and interdisciplinary bilingual communications said this was their first volunteer project.

"We had gone down to visit Hurricane Creek as a class and there was an area where the embankment was eroded and it was hard to get down to the creek," she said. "I knew it would be very beneficial to have steps to help other people visit the creek and to help stop the land flood occurring there."

Freshman members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity also helped with the project by mixing cement and completing other various tasks.

By installing and anchoring these steps it provided safe access to the creek bank and helped to prevent erosion.

"The gradient was kind of steep and it will make it a lot safer for people," she said.

Schneider said her favorite part of the experience was watching a few students could make a big difference.

"We mixed and poured our own concrete and anchored these steps ourselves, among other things," she said. "It was a very hands on experience that a few people were able to accomplish and these steps will be there at least for another 30 to 40 years."

Cherry said that The Laboratory Experience is a natural science seminar with labs and the main object is to introduce students to natural science and to increase their science literacy.

"Students participate in a variety of labs including chemistry, physics, biology and ecology so that they get to sample some of the major disciplines within the natural sciences," Cherry said.

This class is a hands-on experience offered both in the fall and spring semesters including labs and two field trips. Students don't have to be in New College to take the class.

"It appeals to students because, for one, it does fulfill the core natural science requirement and it also gives students a learning experience where they get to work with the community," she said.

This year Cherry said that they have restructured the program and there are two labs that were the same as last year and the rest are brand new.

"This semester we're doing five labs and taking two field trips," she said. "This Sunday we are having a creek clean up project at Hurricane Creek that's a part of this s class."

Schneider explained that the class is about exploring the world of science and understanding that scientific disciplines are not wholly independent of each other.

"With studying Hurricane Creek you learn that there are many different types of sciences that affect the creek," she said.