STEPHANIE BARTZICK
ENVIRONMENTAL and WILDERNESS SKILLS EDUCATOR
SUSTAINABILITY ENTHUSIAST
Highlighted Course Work
Scroll down to view a list of additional relevant courses.
Non-Timber Forest Products
Technically termed "Natural Resources and Ecology: Farming the Forest", but better known as "Non-Timber Forest Products", is an outdoor, hands-on learning classroom, with a business spin. In this class you become an employee of South Hill Forest Products, a student-run business that produces maple syrup, gourmet oyster mushrooms, honey, bees wax products, and provides an introduction to herbalism.
This class prepared me to become the Teaching Assistant for the next two years for this class.
Population Ecology
This course was an opportunity to analyze about 20 scientific journal articles, learn the statistic program "R", and to perform our own population studies. We analyzed the pros and cons about each paper, especially the methods and results section where we critiqued the statistical analysis. Our population studies included surveying the number of house centipedes within the science building and the population densities of earthworms among different locations on the college campus.
Recently disturbed
Recently disturbed
Recently disturbed
Field Biology
Hands-on field research at its best. Each week was composed of a two hour, in-class lecture where we learned methodologies, statistics, and surveying techniques, then five hours were spend outside of the classroom at one of the many state nature parks or preserves. At each location we designed and applied studies, while learning about the ecology of the region. Once our data was collected, it was brought back to the lab for analysis. Studies included water sampling, invertebrate sampling, tree surveys, wetland surveys, amphibian surveys, and small mammal trapping and tagging.
Land-Use & Landscape Change
This course discussed land-use policy surrounding natural resources, stake-holders, management, and development. We focused on how to construct and implement management practices for recreation landscapes. My final project was to create a usable hiking and biking nature trail that lead to an outdoor classroom. This task involved marking GPS points to blaze a human-use trail from thick brush and rabbit trails. The trail is currently in high use from college students and a pathway to an outdoor classroom.
Environmental Geology
The lab portion of this course took advantage of the unique geological formations around the Ithaca area. Labs included surveying and analyzing surrounding bedrock hydrology, soil and water sampling, various sediment analyses, exploration of salt mines, and the search for ancient fossils.
Oyster Mushroom Spawn Research
After the completion of Non-Timber Forest Products where I learned the science behind cultivating oyster mushrooms, I decided to pursue independent research on the development of oyster mushroom spawn. Experiments included changing or altering the growth medium, agar, oxygen flow and carbon dioxide release, and growth temperature. A few dozen jars of spawn were successfully produced and used to inoculate bags of straw and grow and sell gourmet oyster mushrooms. A sustainable and economical, close-loop system was developed to continue to produce our own spawn rather than purchasing multiple pounds of spawn.
Additional relevant courses:
Belize: Rainforests, Reefs, and Ruins
Calculus
Earth System Science
Environmental Science and Technology
Environmental Research Methods
Environmental Toxicology
General Ecology
Human-Environment Geography
Organic Chemistry
Principles of Biology
Principles of Chemistry
Principles of Physics
Statistics for the Health, Life, and Social Sciences