We enjoy public outreach, especially with school children. We participate in several organized outreach and education programs but also have many opportunities for informal interactions through our research activities in the city. Sometimes our research benefits greatly from, or even requires, the support and engagement of Chicago residents. Below are a few of the ways we have connected with the public.
Science Alliance
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Through Oak Park Education Foundation's Science Alliance program, we work with elementary school teachers and students to bring ecology to their classrooms. One year, we brought bird skins and owl pellets into Ms. Browning's 3rd grade classroom at Irving Elementary School. We loved this owl pellet song!
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With Megan Garfinkel, we did a bird banding demonstration at Thatcher Woods with Mrs. Bruce's 4th grade class. The kids also learned to use binoculars and went on a bird scavenger hunt.
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Young Scientists Conference
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Oak Park District 97's 'Young Scientists Conference' provides K-8 students an opportunity to interact with scientists in a workshop setting. We collaborated with Stephanie Walquist to teach 3-4 graders about the importance of pollinators and pollination.
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Working with Chicago-area residents
We have worked with Chicago-area residents in many ways over the years, both directly and indirectly. In 2009-2010, Chicago-area residents helped us locate Monk Parakeet nests for our 'Chicago Parakeet Project'. In the years since, dozens of residents have allowed us to use their yards to study urban pollinators and pollination services. We have also recorded the plants in 100s of yards of Chicago residents. We are very grateful for the support and cooperation!
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Our 'mobile garden' in the backyard of a generous volunteer, summer 2013
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The brochure we handed out to interested observers during our 2015 study of front yard vegetation. PDF of full brochure
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Some Monk Parakeet nests reported to us by residents. Here is a copy of our press release about the project, although the link to the survey is no longer active. |
