Rogers State University Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Cheyanne Olson recently organized a training workshop to engage young women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The event took place on the RSU campus in Claremore.
Held July 17, the workshop gave troop leaders with the Girl Scouts of Oklahoma the opportunity to learn about citizen science and participate in a local field trip for the opportunity to sample macro-invertebrates for a hands-on experience with science.
“We started the workshop with a morning lecture about citizen science in Loshbaugh Hall,” Olson said. “This (citizen science) is science that involves members of the public – non-scientists – in research, with the idea that anyone can be involved in science, and that you don’t need a degree or vast scientific ‘know-how’ to participate in science.
“Citizen scientists help collect real world data which can be used for management and scientific advancement,” she said.
Following the morning lecture, Olson took workshop attendees on a field trip to a local stream in Claremore, Cat Creek, to sample aquatic insects.
“We highlighted Oklahoma’s water-monitoring citizen science program called Blue Thumb, which trains anyone interested in learning how to test water quality of streams,” she said. “This is an important topic for the Girl Scout leaders to take back to their troops for numerous reasons, one being that young girls don’t always know the full scope of jobs available to them in the sciences, particularly, in environmental sciences.
“Secondly, this kind of science helps connect girls to their communities,” she continued. “By monitoring a local stream, girls become involved in the health of the place in which they live and – hopefully – develop a connection to it and desire to protect it.”
Olson, herself a former Girl Scout, said her goal is to help young women learn about potential careers and to help provide them with opportunities they might otherwise miss.
She plans to continue hosting a series of informative workshops in the future, aimed at Girl Scout troop leaders and volunteers, including a workshop on fish identification to further the girls’ interest in aquatic biology.
Dr. Olson teaches introduction to cellular biology, general biology, introduction to environmental science, aquatic biology, and other courses at Rogers State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in fish and wildlife biology from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. She also earned a Master of Science in environmental science from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She then earned a Ph.D. in environmental science from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
For more information about biology-related courses of study at RSU, visit www.rsu.edu/biology.
