In accordance with Evergreen policy, we will embrace a hybrid model for Winter, 2021. This means we will have one full field day each week, in weeks 2-8. Each field day will have short field lectures followed by hands-on work in plant communes of the Evergreen Forest Reserve. Our extensive field work will allow for social distancing, and it will be supplemented by online content that will be in place of classroom time. Kits will be provided to enhance our communication approaches in the field. In essence, this model will give students the best of both worlds. We will be able to form a strong community anchored in field experiences together, and then allow for recored indoor lectures and labs (including statistics) that can be more self-paced. Our work will be subject to state and federal regulations related to the global pandemic. Nevertheless, our small class size, block program structure, and focus on field experiences in tree physiology and plant ecology place us at a great advantage. We look forward to delivering exceptional plant physiology and ecology training in Winter 2021.
Covid-19 Precautions:
During the one-day per week field activities in weeks 2-8, we will observe the following procedures to keep with COVID-19 regulations and requirements at Evergreen.
- All students will need to complete the health verification form (online) prior to all activities. Students will not be allowed to participate if they fail the health verification.
- Field meetings will take place in groups of eight students at a time
- Students will need to stay greater than 6-feet away at all times
- All students will need to wear masks during labs (light bandanas and masks with valves that emit vapor particles will not be acceptable)
- Visitors will not be allowed
- Faculty will give a brief field lecture each day from greater than 6-feet away. Faculty may use a megaphone for lectures to ensure all instructions can be heard. Students will be issued individual whiteboards (8.5 x 11 inches) and markers they will need to carry at all times, and these will be used to communicate questions back to the faculty and other students without needing to shout.
- Students will be issued sterilized field gear at the start of the quarter, and will be expected to use only this gear or their own gear throughout the entire quarter (no gear sharing). Gear will be sterilized and quarantined for more than three days before students pick up materials
- Field exercises will take place in location such that students will be working individually, but at significant distances from each other.
- Field labs will likely include tapping trees for maple syrup, analyzing tree cores, measuring plant roots, measuring tree water use and rain interception, tracking phenology, bud identification, plant community measurement, plant genetics and common garden approaches, and wood anatomy and ID.
- When navigating to remote locations on campus, students will be invited to travel in “bubble groups” (2-4 students) for safe travel to and from plots. Within these groups, students may communicate, but will be asked to stay greater than 6-feet apart at all time.
- While measuring trees and plant communities, faculty will visit each student from a distance (> 30 feet away) and briefly consult with them on methods
- Students may opt to use a cell phone for communication with faculty in the case of problems of emergencies. Faculty will also carry walkie talkies, and they will be available for students on request.
- Each student will be asked to “check-out” from their plots at the end of each lab using an online form to ensure that every student exits the field safely. The faculty will provide this remote method for documenting the check-out through Canvas.
- In the case that students cannot make it to labs, alternatives will be provided through asynchronous opportunities for learning the same material coupled with individual consultation (remote) with the faculty.
- When possible, all field lab instruction will be recorded and available to remote students through a video link.