Stone Laboratory

Summer at Stone Lab

2009-07-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

This summer's crop of Stone Lab bloggers have been busy recording their experiences from one-day workshops, one-week classes, and five-week term courses. Check out the writings of this hard-working bunch:

Josh kicked off the summer with his blog about his one-week Lake Erie Sport Fishing class. He was on a boat every day and often long into the evening, though the fish just didn't seem to want to take the bait.

Mary, a high school student, took the Stone Lab plunge with a Field-Based Introduction to Oceanography class this summer.

Gary took a five-week course in Limnology while working part-time at Stone Lab--chatting with guests at the Aquatic Visitors Center and manning the bookstore.

Casey spent five weeks studying Evolution. He got to hunt for salamanders and catch and measure birds--and got some great photos!

Stephanie had a whirlwind tour of Stone Lab during her one-day Ichthyoplankton Identification Workshop. It's hard to tell all those tiny creatures apart, but she met the challenge.

New Metro at Stone Lab Blog!

2007-09-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

This year, Stone Lab has asked several Metro High School students to document their experience while taking a one-week course on Gibraltar Island during the week of September 13, 2007.

A partnership between The Ohio State University and Battelle, Metro High School is a small and intellectually vibrant learning community open to students in Franklin County. Metro High School is designed to serve students who want a personalized and extraordinary learning experience that prepares them for a connected world where math, science and technology are vitally important. All Metro students engage in a personally relevant and academically rigorous curriculum within a safe and trusting environment.

Beginning this week, more than 30 Metro Students will take either Aquatic Biology or Insect Biology at Stone Lab. Visit metroatstonelab.blogspot.com to view first-hand accounts of Metro students exploring science and discovering themselves!

The Rock is Demanding

2007-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Classes and work got into a smooth rhythm. The Limnology midterm was fairly painless although it successfully caused major sleep deprivation. Those who have been here the whole summer are ready to leave, but I'm just getting used to the motions. I got a pay check a few days ago, woo hoo. Now it's almost over. Only nine days left and then I'm off to my last year of college life at Miami University of Ohio.

1st weekend, July 21st & 22nd

2007-07-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

The first day of class went well, woke up, ate breakfast, 4 hours of lecture, lunch, and a boat ride out to Rattlesnake Island. We measured turbidity, conductivity, depth, pH, temperature with the Sonde, the Secchi and several other instruments. I learned a lot, but it was intense. The weekend was beautiful. Christmas in July couldn't have been on a better weekend. Watch out for those shots from the beer barrel, they taste waay too good. But the water taxi came through again and I made it home safe. After a day out on a friends boat soaking in the sun and an eventful paddle boat ride to Gibraltar I am now back in my dorm. Tomorrow I work again and will help with the lighthouse starting at 10:30. We will see what else good ol' Put-N-Bay has in store. Tootles.

Stone Lab in The Lantern!

2007-07-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Check out the article in The Lantern, OSU's campus newspaper about Stone Lab. Learn about the REU experience as Aaron Wibberely describes it, and even hear what professors think. Can't get enough of The Island Snake Lady, Kristin Stanford? Don't worry she's in there too!

Remote island lab offers students unique opportunity to learn - Campus

The first term is almost over and we're getting ready to welcome a new batch of bloggers, so keep an eye out for the new links to left.

Let the Blogging Begin!

2007-06-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Meet Erik our first blogger of the 2007 Stone Lab season! A 5th year senior at The Ohio State University, Erik is enrolled in the Field Herpetology course going on this week at Stone Lab. He'll be working side-by-side with Kristin Stanford, the Snake Lady featured on the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs TV show. Check out his blog and read all about his adventures wrangling Lake Erie water snakes this summer!

Stone Lab Now Hiring: Bloggers!

2007-04-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last year marked the beginning of a new Stone Lab Communications Project: Student Blogs. More than 10 students participated in an online project to write journals and document their experiences over the summer while taking a course on Ohio State’s Island Campus. All the bloggers who participated earned a free Stone Lab drawstring backpack and were entered in a raffle for a pair of Cedar Point tickets for their hard work writing and maintaining their blogs all summer. Thanks to all the students who participated!

This summer, the search for bloggers continues. If you’re a student taking a course at Stone Lab and want to share your experiences, then writing a Stone Lab blog is for you! Your first-hand accounts of course work, field trips, and lab data will be used as a record of the different experiences offered at Stone Lab every summer. Future students will be just a click away from seeing what happens in a hands-on science class on Lake Erie. And remember, you’ll earn a free Stone Lab drawstring backpack, and maybe even two tickets to Cedar Point!

To read last year’s blogs, visit stonelaboratory.blogspot.com. For more information on blogging this summer, contact Daniella Nordin at 614.292.8949.

New Courses this Summer!

2007-03-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

This summer Stone Laboratory will offer new opportunities for undergraduates and graduates in biological sciences, education, and natural resources. Spider Biology, Aquatic Entomology, and an Entomology REU will add to the already diverse offerings of more than 30 different science courses available on Gibraltar Island.

EEOB 694: Spider Biology
The shores of Lake Erie are famous for both the abundance and the variety of spiders that live there. Dr. Richard Bradley, Associate Professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at Ohio State’s Marion Campus, will cover all you could ever want to know about spiders during the week of July 8–14.

For the first time at Stone Lab, students will be introduced to the diversity of spiders, along with their behavior and ecology. They will learn how to identify and become familiar with the most common spider families in Ohio.

Other topics will include spider anatomy, classification, and web building techniques. Spiders are among the most important predators in natural ecosystems and are effective at controlling pest insect populations. “The behavior of spiders is surprisingly complex and fascinating,” notes Bradley. “I am excited to offer a course dedicated solely to them.”

ENT 612: Aquatic Entomology
Northwest Ohio is abundant with aquatic habitats ranging from wetlands and rivers to lakes. Dr. Ferenc de Szalay, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Kent State University, and his students will explore aquatic ecosystems and the insects that inhabit them.

Aquatic Entomology, offered from July 19–August 18, will teach students about aquatic insect anatomy and ecology as well as field sampling and identification techniques. The course will combine lectures on insect biology with field trips to sample habitats, using Ekman dredges, core samples, activity traps, and sweep nets.

“Stone Lab is the perfect site to teach Aquatic Entomology,” says de Szalay. “Students will see aquatic insects in a wide range of freshwater habitats, from coastal and inland wetlands to rivers.” Understanding aquatic insects has many practical applications. For example, they are key components of food webs, and they can be important indicators of water quality.

Entomology REU Scholarship Program
Stone Lab’s REU Scholarship Program offers students a real-world research experience in data collection and analysis, scientific reading and writing, and oral presentation skills while providing a full scholarship for tuition, room and board, and lab fees.

Overseen by Dr. Doug Kane, Visiting Assistant Professor Biology/Toxicology at Ashland University, the new entomology REU will allow students to investigate the devastating effects of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a non-native beetle that entered the United States in the summer of 2002.

“During visits to several Lake Erie islands, students will determine forest composition by identifying trees and measuring their densities and sizes,” states Kane. “They will look for new evidence of EAB activity and examine the ecological effects of this beetle.” The data gathered can help homeowners, arborists and landscapers make informed decisions about treating trees for this borer.

For more information on these and other opportunities offered at Stone Laboratory, visit our website.

Student Spotlights

2007-02-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

Just so everyone knows, the new Summer/Fall Double Issue of Twine Line is ready to go!

Check out Jennifer Yi's student spotlight on page 19 and don't forget to read Justin Chaffin's Research Review on page 16.

Just a reminder, all applications for courses, jobs, scholarships, and REU's are due next month!

Stone Lab's Dirty Job

2006-11-28T17:38:00.000-08:00

Check out Stone Lab's resident researcher, Kristin Stanford, on the Discovery Channel's popular "Dirty Jobs" program in its season premiere on Tuesday, November 28th (tonight!) at 9:00 p.m.

The show will center around Kristin's research on protecting the Lake Erie Water Snake, a group of biters who spray musk and feces at researchers who pick them up. She catches the snakes, weighs them, and induces their vomit so she can check up on their diet (fun, huh?).

Kristin hopes the show will spotlight Stone Lab's REU, or Research Experience for Undergraduates, Program. The program at Ohio State allows students from all over the country to work on supervised, independent research projects in a variety of disciplines like herpetology, limnology, and fisheries. Students gain valuable skills in data collection and analysis, scientific reading and writing, as well as practice in oral presentation. This professional-level experience is an excellent preparation for graduate studies or professional life.

check out the REU Page

And make sure you watch the show tonight!

Stone Lab Backpacks!

2006-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings bloggers (and whomever else is out there in the Blogosphere)!

I know most of the bloggers have heard by now, but the Stone Lab Backpacks are officially in and ready for the taking! As a reward for all those hard-working bloggers, these drawstring backpacks are free to those who spent the summer documenting their course work at Stone Lab.

As you can see, the backpacks come in blue, red, or black and for those of you who are interested, and this includes the bloggers' family members, we are preparing to sell the backpacks for 6 dollars each. All checks can be made out toThe Ohio State University. If you have any questions, contact Nancy at cruickshank.3@osu.edu.

Also, look out for our Student Feature article in the next issue of Twine Line, we're spotlighting fellow blogger Jennifer Yi!

Hope the beginning of the school year has found everyone doing well, happy blogging!

Blog in the news . . . AGAIN!

2006-08-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Spring issue of Twine Line, Ohio Sea Grant's quarterly newsletter on research and events around Lake Erie has a special feature in it about the Stone Lab blogs! Written by yours truly, you can access "Frogs and Blogs" right here!

There's also an excerpt in the magazine from Amy's blog, that's definitely worth checking out. We also just got news from onCampus, the alumni newsletter that there will be a mini-feature in there about the blogs as well! I'll post that when we get it.

Keep an eye out for an article on Justin's REU experience at the lab in the next issue of Twine Line.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Winding Down

2006-08-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the last week of the term. We're busy getting our labels made for our collections and cramming more scientific names into our heads. I feel like I am never making enough flash cards!

To add to Daniella's post about tips, I'm going to add another of my own:

If you're in a class that has anything to do with water (which is all of them I think), bring a disposable underwater camera and print and scan them to your blog when you get home. That way, you won't be like me and filing a claim on your poor drowned digital camera. Mine got sucker punched by Lake Erie. Not a good thing when you've become addicted to taking pictures of EVERYTHING! On a positive note, maybe I can get an even better, waterproof one for next year? We shall see!

See you in a week!

More Tips

2006-08-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Tip #1: I decided to take the Miller Ferry because I’d heard that it was a lot less expensive. I guess the Jet Express is a little bit nicer, and definitely faster, but it costs twice as much and you have to pay for parking. By taking the Miller Ferry, you pay less money for the ticket, and the parking is free! The only disadvantage is that you dock further from the lab, but that’s nothing a cab ride can’t fix.

To find out what else was helpful on my trip, check out my blog!

2006-08-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

The sunset off of Gibraltar Island can be beautiful, like the sunset Thursday night. Rattlesnake Island is in the background.

Blog's in the news

2006-08-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

Thought this was pretty interesting (and of course I wrote it)! The article is also on our homepage (www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu) and appeared in the Toledo Blade last month. Just a little incentive for you bloggers to keep up the good work!

I've also been working on an article that will appear in the next issue of Twine Line, the magazine that we run on research and news around the Great Lakes area. The magazine can also be acessed from our home page. Enjoy!

Stone Laboratory Students Offer Personal Accounts of Coursework Via Blogs

Students and educators interested in Ohio State University's Lake Erie campus at Stone Laboratory can now view first-hand accounts of students' experiences on line. Lauren Makeyenko of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is the first of many Stone Lab students who has been busy blogging this past week.

"Everyone was able to participate in the water sampling this morning. Techniques used were the Rosette Sampler (conductivity, temperature, chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen), Box Core Sampler, Ponar Grab, and Plankton Net," writes Lauren on the first day of her blog."

Shipboard and Shoreline Science on Lake Erie is Lauren's daily journal of her experiences while taking the course Natural Resources 611: Great Lakes Education Workshop. Throughout her blog, Lauren quotes her classmates, uploads pictures of her activities, and documents her experience aboard the U.S. EPA's R/V Lake Guardian.

"Lauren Makeyenko did a great job of capturing not only what was happening with the science but also with the environments we encountered," says Dr. Rosanne Fortner, director of COSEE Great Lakes. "The storms, the mayflies and the canoes all contributed to that experiential aspect that is the most memorable way to learn. I think you can see from the photos how involved and enthusiastic the participants were."

As part of a new Ohio Sea Grant Communications project, Lauren's blog is just one of many student blogs now available on the web. One student from each of the 30 science courses offered at Stone Laboratory has been selected to write a detailed account of their experiences while at the Lab this summer. Courses with blogs now include Sports Fishing, Geology, and Marine and Aquatic Education.

These blogs will serve as a visual and written record of student experiences to use in the following years for promotion. Future students will be able to click and see what they would be doing in class from another student's perspective. From important items to bring to Lake Erie, to how to catch bigger walleye, anyone can see that these blogs are meant to prepare and intrigue future students.

To see Lauren's blog about her experience with COSEE Great Lakes' Lake Guardian course, visit www.coseegreatlakes.blogspot.com. To read about other students' adventures while at Stone Laboratory, visit the Stone Lab Students blog at www.stonelaboratory.blogspot.com.

Stone Laboratory is Ohio State University's Island Campus on Lake Erieand the research facility for the Ohio Sea Grant College Program. Teachers, high school students, and college students take college credit courses at Stone Lab, the nation's oldest freshwater biological field station, every year. More than 5,500 students grades 4 through adults take aquatic science workshops/fieldtrips at Stone Lab annually.

Fun times

2006-07-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was “Christmas in July” at Put-in-Bay, an annual event celebrated every late July on the island. Friday night a large Santa made a short visit to Gibraltar Island. Santa was pulled by a large yacht decorated with Christmas lights and playing Christmas music. Saturday evening a few of us took a break from our busy schedule to partake in the festivities in town. Good times were had by all!

2nd Term at the Lab

2006-07-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

The second term is here! Congrats to those students who have already completed their course work for the summer and good luck to those who have only just begun! There's a whole slew of new bloggers ready to start bloggin' . . . including Justin who is working on a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). And we'd like to welcome OSU Nature Gal back as she contiues to blog about Aquatic and Wetland Flora (among other things!)

There's more??

2006-07-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yep! I just got done with my Local Flora for Teachers course at Stone Lab. I have lots of stuff to post so keep checking back. I have some preview pictures posted now. Also, being the busy wee student that I am, I'll be back up there in justa few days for the Aquatic and Wetland Flora class so you'll be hearing a lot more from me.

In the mean time here's a picture of my Local Flora class:

See you soon!
OSU Nature Gal

Field Ecology - EEOB 513

2006-07-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

So my week in Field Ecology in June was great! And I'm looking forward to Stream Ecology starting this weekend. Here's the link to the Field Ecology course: http://alicemstone.blogspot.com/

It's nice to be a teacher and have time during the summer to do this kind of stuff!

I loved seeing all the water snakes on the islands... these two were sunning themselves on Kelley's Island.

Next up: EEOB 694!

2006-07-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hey there, it's me, OSU Nature Gal again! I'm gearing up for my next class, Local Flora for Teachers at Stone Lab. I'm really looking forward to it since plants are my guilty pleasure and I hope to be able to continue focusing on them throughout my education. Keep checking in and I'll let you know how it's going!

Birding 101

2006-06-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Always wanted to know where the Cedar Waxwings and Tree Swallow nests can be found?? Stop on over to Lynsdey's Ornithology blog and check out her tips on how to be a better birder!

What to bring when travelling to the lab . . .

2006-06-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Curious as to what to bring to your class this summer? Worried about overpacking? Or worse yet, underpacking? Well, now you have a list of important items to bring with you on your travels, thanks to OSU Nature Gal!

So Great they got a "Thanks!"

2006-06-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

"We are so thankful to the Captain and Crew of the Lake Guardian. They are all the absolute best and we could not have had this amazing journey without them!" -- Shipboard and Shoreline Science on Lake Erie

Find out why this deserving crew got their own personal thank you by reading Jessica's blog Nat Res 611 and click on the link to the right!

Hi peeps!

2006-06-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

I will be posting from Stone Labs in a couple of weeks on my Aquatic Biology course! My blog is called aquabio.

I checked out some of the other blogs, and they look great! I'm looking foreward to this journalism experience (a first for me). :-)

Who wants to go fishing?!

2006-06-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's me, OSU Nature Gal! Come check out my blog as I tell you about my week of fishing at Stone Lab. If you see the picture that Daniella posted, you can see me with my monster walleye (29 inches! That's almost half as long as I am tall!) kneeling in the front row on the far right. I just posted some helpful hints on coming to Stone Lab and I will be posting pictures soon!

Go Bucks!

Hands-on Real Science!

2006-06-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

"Everyone was able to participate in the water sampling this morning. Techniques used were the Rosette Sampler (conductivity, temperature, chlorphyll, and dissolved oxygen), Box Core Sampler, Ponar Grab, and Plankton Net." -- Shipboard and Shoreline Science on Lake Erie

Wanna know what we're talking about?? Click here! to find out what's new in Natural Resources 611: Great Lakes Education Workshop

A Good Week for Sports Fishing!

2006-06-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought you could get college credit for fishing on Lake Erie? Read about Amy, a student in EDU PAES 140.07: Lake Erie Sport Fishing right here! And see why everyone in the class was able to catch a fish!

College Credit for a Cruise?

2006-06-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it would be like to take classes on a cruise ship?? Well now you'll have a better idea. Lauren, a student in Natural Resources 611: Great Lakes Education Workshop, is taking a cruise ship all along Lake Erie on the R/V Lake Guardian. This week long course will involve teachers and informal educators in interdisciplinary learning opportunities for Great Lakes and ocean systems research. Read all about Lauren's adventures here!

Natural Resources 614

2006-06-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

We already have a blog up and running! Read about Jessica's adventures in her course Natural Resources 614: Marine and Aquatic Education. Click on the link to the right to read about her first 4 days at Stone Lab . . .

About the Blog

2006-06-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

This year Stone Lab has decided to do something new and different to promote classes over the summer. Meet our new blog! Students that are taking courses at the lab RIGHT NOW are keeping logs of their experiences and reporting back right here. Read about the exciting adventures these students are experiencing as they conduct research on the nation's oldest biological field station . . .