Over break, eight upper school students gathered in Dr. Edinger’s lab to start their research journey in Dr. Jan Janecka’s WILDS program on analyzing wildlife. Dr. Janecka, PhD, is an associate professor of biology at Duquesne University and introduced the students to an exciting research opportunity of studying wildlife by using cameras placed around Linsly’s campus.
These students started meeting just before Thanksgiving break with Dr. Edinger, biology teacher at Linsly, to begin learning about what they will be researching from December of 2024 until June of 2025. December 19th was the students first time with the hands-on experience from this research journey, where they started out the day with an introduction into the WILDS program with Dr. Janecka. From there, students quickly moved on to analyzing wildlife skins, foot prints, and teeth while hypothesizing what differences between the same species may show the students about environmental factors where different species live. After, students began to look at pictures of wildlife taken from the same camouflage cameras that the students will be using to collect pictures of wildlife on Linsly’s campus. Next, Dr. Janecka taught the students the settings of the cameras as well as showed the group how to use them, where the students practiced indoors by taking pictures.
Finally, it was time for the group to bundle up and head outside to learn how to set up a camera with Dr. Janecka. After going around campus, the students chose to set up the camera near the creek because of the high level of wildlife movement near a water source.
Research student, junior Baylie Hinebaugh, explains her experience, “It was exciting to begin the research process and I am very intrigued to see what wildlife we may not realize exists on our very own campus.”
When students return from break, they will continue to set up their two other cameras on campus, analyze the pictures they gathered, and begin creating a research poster that they will share during a conference at the Frick Environmental Centre in June.
The students want to thank Dr. Janecka for coming down to Linsly to help them start their research journey.
By: Elaina Pusz
