EWU Students Activate a Living Laboratory

Recently, a new class turned the EWU campus landscape into a living laboratory.

Biology 396: Climate Resilient Landscapes: EWU Grounds as a Case Study invited students to explore the campus and get their hands dirty—literally.

Students collected core soil samples to decode the landscape, paving the way for native grasses and flowers to flourish in their natural ecosystem.

Co-developed by Facilities and Planning, Sustainability, and Biology, the course helped lay the groundwork for the next phase of developing a sustainable landscape.

“Last summer, we pitched the idea to create more drought-resistant plants on dry spots on the campus,” says Erin Endres, climate resilience specialist in the university’s Office of Sustainability. “We wanted to involve students and help them think outside the box. The class is Scott Buck’s brainchild—he dreamed of getting more hands-on opportunities for students.”

Buck, EWU’s director of facilities services, says they used the school’s 2022 Climate Resiliency Landscape Masterplan as a starting point.

“The plan shows us the direction, but it was bereft of details,” he recalls. “The class is a chance for our students to do something meaningful.”

For example, the lush green lawns of EWU may be lovely to look at, but they aren’t sustainable. Eventually, they will be replaced with drought-resistant vegetation, like arrowleaf balsamroot and lupine.

“Natural planting looks different than what we’ve been conditioned to see, and what we’ve been conditioned to see is not necessarily what belongs in the space,” Buck says. “We’re learning what’s acceptable, beautiful, and what belongs there.”

Robin O’Quinn, a biology professor and botanist, designed the course based on the wealth of her 40 years of research in the field.

Together, the departments identified two projects they felt could be accomplished in the allotted time, one being turf removal and plant palette modification and the other involving planting vignettes.

“The students responded really well,” O’Quinn says. “We took time to create the context, so they were really engaged by the time it got to the project phase.”

David Mihalasky, an environmental sciences major with a biology focus, relished his time in the class.

“It was right up my alley,” Mihalasky says. “I’m a very hands-on learner. It was an open, experiential class—not just standard lectures.”

He grew up in a family that loved the outdoors, and he attended Boy Scout camp every summer.

“My goal has always been to pursue outdoor fieldwork,” Mihalasky says.

As someone who already enjoyed exploring the EWU campus, he says he now has a better understanding of the spaces he’s inhabited.

“EWU has a lot of grassy lawns that aren’t serving a purpose and are difficult to maintain,” Mihalasky says. “But it can be transformed into something more beautiful with sustainable plants and flowers.”

He says collaborating with fellow students to build a living campus database gave him invaluable real-world experience—and the power to make a tangible difference in his community.

It also led to an employment opportunity. Mihalasky currently works for the Office of Sustainability in the Seed Increase Garden.

O’Quinn says this interactive model is the kind of teaching she most enjoys.

“The students walk away with the recognition of what works and what doesn’t work,” she explains. “I’d love to do more of this so they’re better informed about reading landscapes.

“We want students to go into their jobs excited about translating what they’ve learned into the scientific method in action,” O’Quinn says.

Her students’ final presentation exceeded staff members’ expectations.

“They created a plant list of what plants would survive best. It’s scientific inquiry in the real world married with operational reality,” Buck says. “Our students are brilliant. We utilized campus resources to better our environment. I’m excited to see where this can go, and I hope the partnership continues.”

**Story written by Cindy Hval.