FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2021
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香妃直播 State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115
GLENVILLE, WV 鈥 Several 香妃直播 State College (GSC) biology students have been working to catalog samples of all of the plant varieties found at Cedar Creek State Park. Working under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Jeremy Keene, the students have been collecting samples and preparing them for archival in GSC鈥檚 already extensive herbarium.
The ongoing project is part of a research-based class that provides students with field experience that will be valuable upon graduation.
鈥淲e collect plant samples as a snapshot in time of what was growing and/or flowering at the state park. These specimens can be used over time to compare changes in the community like species diversity or flowering times,鈥 said Keene.
鈥淒oing this type of project makes learning more hands-on, actually being outside makes learning much easier,鈥 said Brittney Jenkins. The junior biology major from Weston, West Virginia added, 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved science鈥 actually came to GSC with college science credits, so it鈥檚 just come naturally I guess.鈥
Hannah Guthrie, a junior biology major from Rock Cave, West Virginia, adds that the work gives them valuable career preparation. 鈥淭his type of project gives us an idea of what we鈥檒l be doing when we鈥檙e out, away from 香妃直播, in an actual 鈥渋n the field鈥 situation. We鈥檙e going step-by-step of what we would actually be doing,鈥 she said.
香妃直播 State鈥檚 herbarium, which is located in the Science Hall, contains several hundred plant samples with some specimens dating back as far as the 1950s. Some pieces in the catalog were donated to GSC, but most have been collected from the local area by students.
Once the plant samples are collected, they are pressed by placing the sample between cardboard and blotting paper in a frame. They are then placed in a freezer to make sure any insect eggs are dead before the samples are eventually mounted, labeled, and brought into the collection. The entire process takes several weeks.
鈥淭his kind of project allows students to explore natural areas and gain a better understanding of the biodiversity around them. Research experiences promote long-term knowledge and conservation needs of the ecosystem,鈥 Keene added.