On April 18th, Eco Society, a student-run organization here at St. Edward’s, held a student symposium showcasing the current research projects and academic opportunities at Wild Basin through the funding of the Hook Fellowship.

 

Before we heard from the speakers, we learned a little bit about the fellowship and Dr. Allan W. Hook and how he worked at Wild Basin and contributed to their progress.

 

There were a handful of presentations during the event, two of which were from St. Edward’s students doing research projects at Wild Basin through the Hook Fellowship. The first speaker talked about analyzing the health of migratory birds based on the area they stop to rest in. This included doing a physical examination of the bird as well as taking a blood sample for testing. The next student presented about the soundscapes of ecosystems, specifically a wild area near a busy highway. Both presenters showed their current progress and results and shared what they plan to do in the future with the Hook Fellowship.

 

There were also two presentations from St. Edward’s students that were interning at Wild Basin. Maya, who spent the last year as a land management intern, shared photos and spoke about learning different things and acquiring many different skills from being at Wild Basin. Eve, an ecology intern and president of the Eco Society, talked about research, results, and experiments done during the internship at Wild Basin.