Attention Michigan Science Teachers!
Eastern Michigan University is offering three opportunities to earn
credit in the great outdoors this summer. The classes run four to six
days long. The instructor for each of these three classes is Dr.
Leslie Mertz, a field biologist who has written numerous books on
nature and on Michigan, andhas taught dozens of courses for teachers.
The courses are part of the Fish Lake Program, which is run by
Eastern Michigan University and held at a biological field station
called the Kresge Environmental Education Center in Lapeer. The field
station is about a 45-minute drive north of The Palace of Auburn
Hills, and has a dormitory and cafeteria for students who wish to
spend the night there. The grounds are quite beautiful with a lake,
pond, and hundreds of acres of forests and meadows.
In addition to the three classes listed below, the Fish Lake Program
has a number of other summer courses available. To see the complete
schedule or to learn more about the program, go to http://
www.ce.emich.edu/locations/fishlake.aspx . For more information on
the three classes listed here, feel free to contact the instructor
directly at [email protected] .
JULY 2009 — Michigan Insects for Teachers
This four-day class explores the amazing and often bizarre
collection of insects that make Michigan home. Topics include
identification of Michigan species, their frequently astonishing
behavior and modes of reproduction, and where and how they live. The
book for the class is an inexpensive paperback titled Extreme Bugs,
which Dr. Mertz wrote for the Smithsonian. "Michigan insects for
Teachers" is a two-credit, four-day class.
Monday through Thursday, July 20-23
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
instructor: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D.
JULY 2009 — Field Biology
If you are looking for an introduction to the plants and trees,
insects and other invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles, birds, and
mammals of Michigan -- and the ways to study them -- then this class
is for you. You will learn the methods scientists use to survey
plants or animals, to estimate their population size, to live-trap
animals, and much more during this fast-paced class. "Field Biology"
is four-credit class that runs three days a week for two weeks. You
will leave with a range of activities you can add to your own
curriculum.
Thursday through Saturday, July 9,10,11 and July 16, 17, 18
9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
instructor: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D.
JUNE 2009 — Animal Behavior
Communication, courtship and mating, care of the young, aggression,
predatory and defense tactics, feeding, territoriality— if you have
ever wondered why animals do the things they do, this class will
provide a window to their behavior. Through in-the-classroom
discussions and activities, and out-of-doors exploration, you will
gain an good understanding of Michigan's creatures and how they live
here in your own backyard. "Animal Behavior" is a two-credit class
and runs three days a week for two weeks.
Thursday through Saturday, June 4,5,6 and June 18,19,20
8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.,
instructor: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D.
Join us this summer and find out why so many southeastern Michigan
teachers come back year after year to learn at Fish Lake!
