2019 LYCOMING COLLEGE LC MAGAZINE SPRING

BIOLOGY FIELD STATION Running along the Loyalsock Creek by Pa. Route 87, the Lycoming Biology Field Station Inc., a nonprofit corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Lycoming College, was recently established through the generosity of Molly (Costello) Daly, retired director of college relations at Lycoming, and her family. The 116-acre property consists of two houses, a barn, several outbuildings, agricultural fields, and thick riparian/upland forestry. The College’s biology department intends to use the field station for courses in aquatic biology, ecology, plant science, vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, and environmental biology, as well as student research and practica projects. This past summer, a group of student interns spent their break conducting water quality testing, identifying and evaluating tree diversity, assessing wetlands, and beginning the compilation of a complete plant and mammal inventory. “I see the field station as a living laboratory for the advancement of knowledge through ecological research, education, and stewardship of the natural world,” explained Mel Zimmerman, Ph.D., professor emeritus of biology and director of the Clean Water Institute (CWI). “The station will provide an opportunity for faculty and students to set up long-term field projects related to their independent research or practica projects. This kind of experiential learning is a top priority of biology, the CWI, and the Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences.” LYCOMING AWARDED $258K GRANT FROM ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATIONS The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations has awarded Lycoming College a $258,000 grant in support of developing a college- community stormwater partnership model for small urbanized watersheds. The grant will further the capacity of Lycoming’s Clean Water Institute (CWI) to support urban stormwater management initiatives by community partners, as well as expand the College’s environmental science curriculum to prepare students for a high- demand area in the field. Managing stormwater is essential for providing clean drinking water, limiting pollutants to coastal ecosystems, and maintaining healthy river systems. The CWI is centrally positioned to provide support to local organizations tasked with meeting stormwater requirements while also developing an undergraduate curriculum in urban stormwater management focused on experiential learning. “This project will also develop unique pedagogical approaches that are transferable to programs at other colleges and universities, and the community partnership approach can serve as a model for other institutions and small urban municipalities,” says Phil Sprunger, Ph.D., provost of Lycoming. Ultimately, the desired impacts of the project are to improve stormwater management techniques that lead to measurable improvements to urban streams in the region, provide students the academic foundations and technical knowledge to work in stormwater management or research programs, and to strengthen the College’s relationships with the community. ALDEN TRUST AWARDS $125K GRANT TO LYCOMING As Lycoming College’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum evolves to encompass biochemical studies and increasingly advanced technology, students and faculty will benefit from a $125,000 grant awarded by the George I. Alden Trust to support the creation of a biochemistry teaching laboratory in the Heim Science Center. Renovations will occur throughout the spring of 2019 with anticipation of completion over the summer. Lycoming introduced biochemistry as an interdisciplinary major this academic year. 10 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2019 SPRING MAGAZINE