STEMM   

Dive into the world of dragonflies and damselflies. Learn the characteristics of these amazing insects and the species common to Elm Creek Park. Hike out to the prairie to catch, observe, and identify using nets and field guides, and record Citizen Science data for the MN Dragonfly Society. This course will take place mostly outdoors at Eastman Nature Center in summer weather. We will be hiking up to one mile on uneven turf trails and walking in the prairie. Course fee: $6.00

You are likely familiar with the five senses: sight, smell, taste and touch. Yet in the animal kingdom, we find incredible sensory systems that allow animals to see colors on the ultraviolet spectrum, hear infrasonic sounds that can travel for kilometers, and even tap into electromagnetic energy. Other animals lose certain senses completely, like blind cave fish, and make up for it by expanding their other senses. In this course, we will learn about a few unique animal sensory systems, concluding with an optional field trip to the Cavefish Lab on the Saint Paul UMN campus on June 16.

 

June 16: Optional class to the Cavfish Lab on the St. Paul Campus (details will be provided to class) 

Explore how climate reshapes where wildlife lives. Using real-world examples from North America, this course reveals why species move, how traits and habitats influence their journeys, and what these shifts mean for the future of our natural world.

This course offers an introduction to all things birds! Classroom lectures during weeks 1 & 2 will discuss bird evolution, basic anatomy & physiology, behavior, and ecology. Field sessions at Como Park and Crosby Farm Regional Park during weeks 3 & 4 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. will focus on bird identification. Terrain: flat, wheelchair accessible paths. Expect walking at a slow pace for about 1-2 miles. Binoculars provided for those who need them. If it rains, we will meet inside for identification lessons.

This course is geared towards people who want to understand more about personal and collective actions they can take to work towards climate solutions. It includes up-to-date information on climate trends. At one of the four sessions, a guest instructor will share a computer model to help the class game what actions would make the greatest impact on climate. At the final session, participants will assess their own skills and interests to figure out what their unique contributions can be to promote climate solutions.

The last treaty (New START) limiting nuclear arsenals has just expired, yet there is little public demand for negotiating a new one to prevent a nuclear arms race. This is in part a result of misconceptions about the power of nuclear weapons. We will discuss the physics and hardware of nuclear weapons to examine some of these misconceptions, placing nuclear weapons in the historical context of other technological developments that have "made war unthinkable" but not stopped it.

NO CLASS: JUNE 16

MAKE UP SESSION: JUNE 30