This past week, Gabriel Abreu-Vigil, a recent MS graduate from our lab, participated in the Bonanza Creek LTER program “Fostering Science,” which seeks to inspire and connect youth in the care of the state (i.e foster programs) through science, art, culture, and outdoor adventures. This week-long experience was led by faculty from the University of Alaska Fairbanks; approximately 25 middle-school-aged children participated in the camp. Recruited for his skills in Geography, Gabriel led activities involving compasses, GPS, and other mapping skills, including a geocaching activity that was new to almost all of the campers! Kids were exposed to latitude and longitude coordinates, how to take and find waypoints on GPS, and how to effectively create and read maps (of different scales!). It was important to Gabriel that these youth in Alaska learn these skills being on the doorstep of vast wilderness where knowing one’s place can be extremely important. The theme of camp this year was “Finding your place,” which served as a double meaning- the geographic sense as well as navigating in one’s own life and reflecting on what makes us unique and our aspirations for the future. One of their favorite activities was making edible maps of our camp (pictured below), which included markers for specific waypoints we had collected in our vicinity.
Gabriel enjoyed sharing his love for mapping and navigation with the group in new and engaging ways and looks forward to helping again next summer. It was both a rewarding time and a pleasure for him to spend time with these kids at the camp, learn about their lives and interests, and experience how the camp combined art, science, and education in a fun and supportive way.
