![wild game innovations camera only take pictures close up wild game innovations camera only take pictures close up](https://s22658.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/sidebar.jpg)
As a result, students had to improvise and find different ways of identifying bird species. O’Connor set up bird feeders to attract the avian species however, due to the summer’s frequent rains, the feeders went untouched. During the first few weeks of the class, students work in teams to collect insects and identify the varieties. O’Connor also enjoys seeing how excited students get about being outdoors and seeing the various creatures in their natural elements. “They should think about the species that are in the environment and what the impact might be … might just give them a little bit to think about when they perform their engineering work.” “So many students are studying engineering, and they will be doing things that have an impact on the environment,” she says. One of the reasons O’Connor loves teaching this class is that students, especially those who may not be in the biology major, have the opportunity for a learning experience in an outdoor, natural research setting and gain an understanding of how their fields of study have an environmental impact.
![wild game innovations camera only take pictures close up wild game innovations camera only take pictures close up](https://www.alloutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/switch_camera_ez12b2-20_lifestyle_9664-660x330.png)
The evolution and diversity class is a 100-level biology course that is taken by both biology majors and non-majors. “We’re excited because as we develop this property, we can actually see the long term human impact … on this ecosystem and the species that live in it,” O’Connor says. While O’Connor has been teaching this course on the main campus for 15 years, this is the first time she held the class outdoors in a natural setting. The addition of a crosswalk that linked the campus to the site made it possible to bring the students to the Hulman Farm property. Students spent time learning in this outdoor classroom, with hands-on activities including examining insects and soil elements to better understand the natural diversity within the West Central Indiana woods. This hands-on class explores the study of evolution, biodiversity and ecology. During the fall quarter, it was also home to Professor Jen O’Connor’s evolution and diversity course. Across the street from the Rose-Hulman campus lies the Hulman Farm, an expansive array of grassy fields, wooded area, trees, wildlife and natural elements.