Learning Contracts

The Evergreen State College allows students to write individual learning contracts (ILCs), student driven formal projects sponsored by Evergreen faculty in lieu of formalized classes. Many students make use of museum resources in their contracts. Please see our “Resources for ILC Students and Sponsors” page for information on how to use the Museum in your ILC. The following are projects undertaken by students that utilized museum specimens or resources.

Summer 2023, Botanical Illustration, Krystal Johnson and Rose York (Faculty: Lalita Calabria and Frederica Bowcutt): Used herbarium specimens to illustrate plants for the second edition of the field guide to camas prairie plants.

Winter 2018, “Wildlife Tracking and Foot Morphology”, Allan Davis (Faculty: Pauline Yu): Used mammal specimens to analyze foot morphology in relation to wildlife tracking.

Winter 2018, “Independent Advanced Undergraduate Research”, Heather Stewart (Faculty: Lalita Calabria): Doing extensive morphological observations on a minimum of 75 lichen specimens.

Spring 2017, “Advanced Undergraduate Research with Dylan Fischer”, Saff Killingsworth (Faculty: Dylan Fischer) 

Winter 2017, “Intaglio Printmaking”, Zoe Kolln (Faculty: Lisa Sweet): Used the museum collections for observational drawings of skeletons, butterflies, and shells, that were then transferred into designs to create etchings on copper plates which were printed using intaglio printmaking methods. Go here for a more detailed description of  Zoe Kolln’s ILC.

Spring 2016, “An Online Key to the Bryophytes of the Evergreen State College Campus”, Chalise Eifler (Faculty: Lalita Calabria): Used herbarium specimens and resources to create an online dichotomous key for identifying common bryophytes on campus.

Winter 2016, “Studying Cladonia in an Herbarium”, Jennifer Rowan (Faculty: Lalita Calabria): Used herbarium specimens to study lichen morphology and distribution in the south Puget Sound prairies.

Winter 2016, “Structural Adaptation: Morphology in Relation to Habit and Habitat”, Robyn Cloughley (Faculty: Amy Cook): Used articulated skeletons to study vertebrate morphology.

 Fall 2015 and Winter 2016, “Symbiosis”, Kate Petersen (Faculty: Lalita Calabria): Used herbarium specimens to evaluate the presence of cyanobacterial associates on south Puget Sound prairie bryophytes.

Fall 2015, “Vertebrate Morphology and Evolution”, Robyn Cloughley (Faculty: Amy Cook):  Used articulated skeletons and skull specimens to study skeletal morphology of Vertebrates.

Spring 2015, “Book of Spring”, Stella Rose (Faculty: Ruth Hayes): Stella used mounted specimens in the Herbarium to produce botanical illustrations and descriptions of plants for an upcoming field guide on south Puget Sound prairies.

Winter 2015, “Preservation of Biological Specimens”,  Loren Klyne (Faculty: Steve Herman & Heather Heying): Used donated specimens to learn how to preserve bird specimens for long term museum storage. Completed specimens were accessioned into the museum collection.

Spring 2014, “Advanced Avian Research”, Kelly Collins (Faculty: Alison Styring): Kelly used the museum as a research space accessed our Pacific Wren specimens for the practice of color banding.

Spring 2014, “Prairie Restoration and Conservation”, Saff Killingsworth & Mollie Steele (Faculty: Frederica Bowcutt): An internship with the Center for Natural Lands Management, Saff and Mollie collected and mounted prairie specimens for deposit in the Evergreen Herbarium.

Spring 2014, “Scientific Communication: Flora of South Sound Prairies”, Lisa Hintz (Faculty: Frederica Bowcutt): Lisa used the prairie herbarium collection for creating illustrations and descriptions for upcoming field guide on south Puget Sound prairies.

Fall 2013 and Winter 2014, “Bryophyte and lichen flora of the south Puget Sound prairies”, Lillian Hynson, (Faculty: Lalita Calabria & Noelle Machniki): Addition of 187 bryophyte and 230 lichen specimens to the Evergreen Herbarium, project to be presented at the 85th Annual Northwest Scientific Association/Northwest Lichenologist, Meeting, March 26-29 in Missoula Montana. Research funded by Evergreen Student Activities Grant and the Washington Native Plant Society.

Winter 2014, “Scientific Illustration”, Jordan Marlor, (Faculty: Amy Cook): Jordan used the museum workroom and zoological specimens for scientific illustration.

Fall 2013, “Agricultural Extension and History in Thurston County”, Rachel Bietz (Faculty Martha Rosemeyer): Use of insect specimens for a research project on carabid beetles of the south Puget Sound prairies.

Fall 2013, “Scientific Illustration” Yelizaveta Bakhtin (Faculty Ruth Hayes): Use of herbarium specimens for scientific illustration work that became part of a display on scientific illustration at the museum.