Virginia: All Four Seasons in One Day!

by Rachel B., Panther Blogger

Winter on campus is an experience!  Between the snow, ice, and torrential downpours, students have to adapt to the situation the best that they can as they walk across campus.  The Ferrum grounds staff does an excellent job of keeping the sidewalks clear of snow, but earth worms are another story. These worms come out in the masses when it rains. This was quite a new experience for me. I am a farm girl, but never in my years have I seen such gargantuan worms!

The weather in Virginia can be temperamental. Being prepared is always the best solution! Umbrellas, rain boots, and the occasional poncho help shield you from the rain. This week, we have seen all four seasons in the course of one day.  It's really important to know that you should be prepared for any kind of weather here!

Greetings from New Panther Blogger, Rachel!

by Rachel B., Panther Blogger

Hi, my name is Rachel. I am a sophomore here on campus. One of the main reasons I was attracted to Ferrum was because of the proximity to my house. I am just a hop, a skip, and a jump down Route 40. I am far enough away from home to stay on campus, but close enough to go home on the weekend. One of our family traditions was to see the Jack Tale Players every summer and attend the Folklife Festival every fall. I love the sense of community that Ferrum offers through its programs and activities.

I would recommend Ferrum to any student. This may not be the biggest campus in the world, but it has a lot of opportunities for involvement. At Ferrum, you are not a student ID number; you are a face with a name. This meant the world to me! I decided to come to Ferrum because I had more research opportunities as an underclassman. I was also attracted to playing Division 3 sports.

At Ferrum, the professors are really highly educated. They know whether you are in class, and they really care! Ferrum's Chemistry and Criminal Justice programs are on target for me to reach my career goals. My professors have real-world experience in both the career and college setting. They really can steer a student in the right direction, which is very helpful and a great perk of a smaller school.

On campus, I am a tennis player. This is my main activity, but I am also the Secretary of the Lions Branch Club, a member of the Art Club, and a member of the Boone Honors Program. Division 3 sports allow former high school athletes to compete at a higher level without the extreme stress and pressure of Division 1 and 2. I love playing tennis here! Balance is the key to college, but I have dived in and have found success.

Recreation Day Serves as Practical Application to Our Research

(Rachel was one of two students who worked on the Investigation of Natural Product Biosynthesis project with faculty mentor Dr. Laura Grochowski during the inaugural Freshman Scholars Program in summer 2012.)

by Rachel B., Freshman Scholar and Guest Blogger

Left to right: Dr. Grochowski, me, Shannon Brown

During the Freshman Scholars Program, we went to Philpott Lake for one of the day trips. This was an amazing experience and a really good bonding time for the group. Canoeing proved to be a challenge for some, but overall, it was a ton of fun! We swam yards out into the lake and enjoyed conversations that proved us to be a tight-knit group. While out on the lake, my research partner, Shannon Brown, and I discovered that Philpott Lake was just another practical application of our research on methanogens. Making discoveries such as this really help to relate lab work to real world experiences.

We poked our oars in the sediment and found that bubbles arose. This meant that methanogens are producing methane under the sediment and it is rising. Methane is one of the 5 main greenhouse gases and is one of the 2 major gases causing problems in our environment. Carbon dioxide and methane account for most of the greenhouse effect. Methanogens exist everywhere in the world, including places with cow pastures, rice paddies, and marshes. Ruminants, such as cows, produce most of the methane in the world, but lakes are still big contributors to the total amount of methane produced. Philpott Lake will be the subject of part of our research in the fall. Taking samples from places such as Philpott will allow us to understand the individual methanogens that live around Ferrum.

This experience was a wonderful way to enter college. I now know all of my professors for my upcoming classes. It will make the transition into my freshman year much easier. I will be a lot more comfortable going to class and asking questions.