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| Orange sulphur butterfly on the UC Davis campus. Youths participating in the Bio Boot Camp will have an opportunity to observe insects and other fauna. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) |
DAVIS--Plans are under way for a one-week summer “Bio Boot Camp,” for young teenagers interested in science, particularly entomology or wildlife biology.
The summer camp, set from June 20 to 24, is a full-day camp based at UC Davis with an overnight stay at the UC Sagehen Creek Field Station near Truckee.
The camp is sponsored by the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology (MWFB) and is youths who will be entering the seventh, eighth or ninth grades this fall. The camp will be limited to a maximum of 16 youths.
Activities will include observing animals, comparing valley to mountain fauna, collecting insects and exploring the anatomy of a dissected bird, said Tabatha Yang, education and outreach coordinator for both the Bohart Museum and MWFB.
“The goal of the camp is to provide an educational opportunity for students who already have a passion for entomology and wildlife biology, but who have outgrown most other camps and are still too young for internships,” she said. “We want to fill that gap, and expose them to the process of science as it is conducted at a top research institute like UC Davis.”
The camp will be led by staff, graduate students, and undergraduates. The instructor/camper ratio will be about 1 to 5.
“A specialized camp like this has been frequently requested by visitors to the museum and participants in our other education and outreach programs,” Yang said. The Bio Boot Camp name and locations are inspired by the advanced, insect field course or “Bug Boot Camp” for undergraduates and graduates that the late entomologist Richard Bohart taught (and that ant specialist Phil Ward, professor of entomology, currently teaches) during the summer.
Campers will search for and collect insects, dissect a bird, observe mammals and survey fish with other who share the same keen interests, Yang said. Monday through Wednesday, participants will delve into the research conducted at the museums and several research sites along Putah Creek as well as other locations on campus.
On Thursday and Friday the camp will explore the Sierras with a Thursday overnight at the UC Sagehen Creek Field Station near Truckee. Transportation to and from Sagehen, cabin lodging, and three meals will be provided during the trip; participants need to bring lunch and snacks for Monday through Thursday.
For more information about Bio Boot Camp, access the description and registration process through UC Davis Campus Recreation program or contact Yang at tabyang@ucdavis.edu.
Both museums are located in Academic Surge on California Drive, UC Davis campus.
The Bohart Museum, located at 1124 Academic Surge and part of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, houses a worldwide collection of nearly eight million insect specimens and a “petting zoo” of live insects such as Madagascar hissing cockroaches and walking sticks. It is the seventh largest insect museum in North America and is open to the public Monday through Thursday and on special weekends
The Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, located in 1394 Academic Surge and part of the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, houses one of the most significant modern collections of birds, mammals, and fish in California. It is among the top ten collections of vertebrates in California and the third-largest university-managed collection in the state. The MWFB is dedicated to education, outreach, conservation, and research. This museum is not generally open to the public, but tours can be arranged in advance.
--Kathy Keatley Garvey
Communications specialist
UC Davis Department of Entomology
(530) 754-6894
