Field Work
Every Friday, Berea students can be found tromping in the woods at the Berea College Forest or around the region. The Forest and Wildlife Management Class’s weekly lab period gets students outside helping them get a field-based education from agency and nonprofit leaders in the profession. Professor Dr. Sarah Hall explained that for students pursuing the forest resource management minor, which constitutes about half of the class, seeing the real-world applications of the principles they learn in the classroom is crucial.
In a recent lab experience, the college’s Forestry Technician Phil Vogel taught about silviculture, the practice of managing trees and forests. First, he gave historical context, explaining different eras of forestry in the United States and how practices have evolved over time. Then, the group walked to specific spots in the College Forest to talk about their land use history. Students could see the long-term impacts of clear-cutting, prescribed burns and timber stand improvement work like girdling and removing less desirable trees.
Field and forest work is the norm for Dr. Hall’s classes. Her Appalachian Plants and People course focuses on food, medicine and crafts created from natural materials. For one lab, they usually visit a chair crafter who walks them through the process from harvesting a tree to final seat. Plant science students study extensively at the college horticulture farm, with visits to other food growers in the community.
“Many students learn more in those settings, by being able to look at and talk about what different factors go into management decisions,” Hall said. “They are observing what is around them, and we often have fruitful discussions that go beyond the particular topic at hand.”
Community Engagement
Spanish 310 is one of multiple courses at Berea with a service-learning component. Coordinated through the Hispanic Outreach Project, students volunteer in community-based cultural and language practice settings. For one project, the class designed an ofrenda for the Dia de los Muertos celebration on campus. In smaller groups, students teach Spanish to interested community members at the Madison County Public Library and provide English as a Second Language tutoring for Spanish-speaking adults.
Dr. Jhonn Guerra-Banda, professor for the course, explained that combining advanced grammar and practical communication skills through service is an integral part of his teaching approach for advanced-language students. Service also connects them to their own culture; 80 percent of class members are heritage Spanish speakers. One young woman, whose parents are from Mexico, developed a special connection with teaching English because it resonated with her own story of immigration and family.
Service-learning courses like Spanish 310 are a key component of Berea’s community and civic engagement minor. The coursework supports student learning in how academic majors approach public problem solving and address pressing social issues. Designed to be multidisciplinary, it uses a mix of theoretical and experiential learning. One graduate, a political science major, interned with FoodChain in Lexington for an intensive summer experience. Now she works full time with Feeding Kentucky on food access issues across the commonwealth.
“Service-learning prepares students to use Spanish in real-world settings and aligns with the Berea College mission of community engagement,” Dr. Guerra-Banda said. “Volunteering with the Hispanic community in the area develops responsibility for and empathy with others and can have a real impact.”
Room for Technology and Creativity
Photo by Breana Lovins ’25.
Inside the new Computer, Media and Information Technology Building, a custom-designed Makerspace encourages student-initiated projects, interdisciplinary experimentation and other collaborations. Its tools facilitate 3D printing, electronics, sewing, laser engraving, paper crafts and precision writing. Dr. Jasmine Jones, director of the Dr. Ann Evans Hon. ’23 and Carl Evans Fd.’62 Makerspace, said the project space was envisioned for hands-on learning and research in physical computing and modern crafting.
While open to all students, the Makerspace offers a special complement to computer science and technology-focused areas of study. Academic classes introduce the foundations of computer science, like algorithms and databases. Research has shown that post-graduate outcomes improve when students experiment with their own projects outside of the classroom.
The Makerspace also supports the joining of creativity, art and technology. One recent graduate, an art major, shifted his creative focus to technologically integrated sculptural art after studying practical computing. His first small piece for the class was a welded metal flower with solar power LEDs. For his capstone project, he created a large forest with a waterfall. With video projection and audio synthesis elements, the piece required fabrication, soldering, electronics and computing skills and tools.
The unstructured space to try out ideas that combine art and technology, Jones explained, helped this student succeed with such a large-scale project. “By seeing other student projects and messing around with the machines, students get inspiration and gain a broader understanding of the intersection between technology, design, art and computer science,” Jones said.
