An award-winning STEAM program for middle and high school students
Take it to the next level.
CORE OBJECTIVES
Hands-on wildlife opportunities
Creative science
Artistic expression
Reflective time in nature
BENEFITS OF WILDLIFE INTERACTION AND NATURE-BASED EDUCATION
Reduced stress and anxiety
Improved directed attention and self-discipline
Improved team cooperation, and social confidence
Better grades
Enhanced leadership and communication skills
Greater awareness and connection to nature, place, and the environment
Promotion of environmental stewardship
SKILLS GAINED
Well-versed in scientific inquiry, data collection, and interpretation
Comfortable with wildlife and spending time outside in a variety of weather conditions
Research on local bird communities with a university research lab and faculty
Field bird identification, by sight and song, of at least five common urban birds
Drawing and photography skills
OUR ROUTINE
We first meet at our central facility around 9:00 a.m. and discuss our plans for the day
We then set out to the research station to start exploring the wonder of birds
We will check a rotating set of traps to see if we have captured any birds. If they have, we bring them back to the research station and take an assortment of measurements before we release them
We will also sometimes split the group in half. Half of the group will check the traps and the other half will use past records of data to come up with and answer questions. The students take their unanswered questions to then create and conduct their own experiments to get more specific data to answer said questions
At 11:50 the group will come together and return to the central facility, where we discuss what we learned during the day.
Throughout the day, we spend lots of time making friends
Spring 2026 Dates:
Feb 14 - May 2
No class April 4
This is a free drop-off program from 9 am - 12 pm located at 1737 Russell Cave Rd., Lexington, KY
OPPORTUNITIES
Contribute to long-term research on Northern Cardinal populations
Participate in research projects that may lead to publication in peer-reviewed journals
Certified in bird-banding techniques (available to ages 14+)
Teamwork and problem solving for urban bird conservation issues
Art inspired by science and nature with possibilities for public display
Participate in a rewildling project and have a chance to earn scholarship money
Help create and display posters for the Kentucky Academy of Science Annual Meeting
