Hattiesburg Zoo Associates with USM Learners on Show Shows

Tue,
11/23/2021 – 07:41am | By: Jaime Stigall

Sweet Clark and Emma Atwood share info with zoo visitors about the diet program of the
Galapagos Tortoise.

Pupils in Dr. Maria Wallace’s science training class at The University of Southern
Mississippi (USM) this drop are having a distinctive prospect to set their instructing
to the examination and discover about science in its a lot of exotic forms.

By means of a partnership with Hattiesburg Zoo, learners have been serving as zoo docents
in the course of the semester, interacting and educating company on the importance of wildlife
conservation. 

The pupils attend the zoo on a regular basis to personnel the academic displays that are put
close to the zoo through traveling to several hours, with every exhibit that contains distinct information and facts
regarding the ecosystem and the numerous animals usually viewed at the zoo. When zoo
guests halt by the tables, the USM pupils share information about the exhibits,
which enables them to draw on their scientific expertise and obtain working experience educating
and interacting with youth of all unique ages and studying capabilities. As component of
their coursework, students also produce a standards-centered lesson plan aligning with
the activities available as a result of the docent plan.

This provider-mastering chance is one particular with mutual rewards for USM college students and
the Hattiesburg Zoo. The pupils have obtained precious hands-on practical experience to prepare
them for their long run professions, and the Zoo has an enhanced quantity of volunteers to
distribute recognition about wildlife conservation.

Emma Atwood and Natalie Hudson, pupils in Dr. Wallace’s course, say the working experience
has taught them about speaking with men and women of varying ages and various backgrounds.
Hudson provides that she’s grateful to “not only find out with distinctive age teams, but
also be able to discover how to train exterior of a classroom as well.”  

Gabby Howe, Training Applications Coordinator for Hattiesburg Zoo, sees fantastic possible
for the Zoo’s collaboration with Dr. Wallace and her pupils.

“(This collaboration) conveys a person of our upmost academic values, which is to further more
the public’s appreciation, respect, and awareness of mother nature and the value of
wildlife conservation,” reported Howe. “The docents not only help Hattiesburg Zoo in our
mission but also perform a major role in advocating for the conservation of wildlife
species.”

Wallace’s course is presented in the Heart for Science & Mathematics Education (CSME)
in USM’s School of Arts and Sciences.

“Just one of the finest challenges we facial area is to encourage additional learners to look for career
opportunities in scientific fields,” mentioned Chris Winstead, dean of the USM College or university
of Arts and Sciences. “This collaborative exertion with the Hattiesburg Zoo is an great
opportunity for our long run qualified science educators to increase their practical experience
and abilities by sharing their scientific interests with people from a selection of
backgrounds and ages. We are fired up to be in this partnership with the Hattiesburg
Zoo.”  

The program is a single of many company-mastering classes made available at the University of Southern
Mississippi. A checklist of company-mastering programs made available at USM can be seen on the
Center for Neighborhood Engagement’s web page at usm.edu/cce.