Model Students Study at EKU Zoology Lab

By Caroline Engle, Senior at Model

After studying macro invertebrates with student teacher Todd Jeffries for a number of days, I was very excited to finally see specimens of these unique organisms in person. Our teacher Susan Neumann contacted Dr. David Hayes, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University, and requested that our class walk across campus to visit his zoology lab. Once we arrived we saw all the creatures Mr. Jeffries talked about in class. Three tables displayed all the macro invertebrates grouped according to the water quality which they are typically found in. I particularly enjoyed looking at them under a dissecting microscope to get a better look at their identifying features, such as the location of their gills. Classmate Cassidy Lake described the experience as “a great example of the numerous benefits from being a part of a school which works closely with EKU professors.”

Having the opportunity to gain from the expertise of professors like Dr. Hayes is what makes Model different from other schools. Although Dr. Hayes is a fairly new professor at EKU in the biology department, he has taken the time out of his busy schedule to work with Model’s Envirothon team for over two years and to meet with some of the science classes at Model. The Model school greatly benefits from professors like Dr. Hayes, as he can provide resources, such as the zoology lab, to show us the organisms we would never have been able to directly observe and study otherwise. Classmate Matthew Clawson said, “Seeing macro invertebrates in person was a completely different experience from learning about macro invertebrates in the classroom.” It was especially helpful to have Dr. Hayes with us as we studied each specimen. He pointed out easy ways to tell each organism apart from the others.

Published on April 08, 2012