“ As I ’ ve gotten my education at Manchester it ’ s become so clear to me that if I want to truly make a positive impact on the world , there ’ s no science that I can do without consideration of how it will affect people .”
MU | Environmental Studies
The goal is to encourage students to help tend to the garden and create a true sense of connection to the garden , to campus and to the North Manchester community .
In addition to their work on campus , the interns also formed what is now called the “ Wasp Team ” of North Manchester .
Earlier this spring , the Peace House , where the peace studies coordinator lives , became infested with bees . This led to Gray Brown contacting James Elliot from Green Wasp Removal , a company that provides environmentally responsible removal of wasps , hornets , yellowjackets and bees . Elliott had the team do surveying in the North Manchester community , going door-to-door asking to look around the outside of people ’ s houses for wasps . If people were willing to keep the nests of native wasps up , the team would continue to monitor them . In some cases , they had to remove the nests . The project was , in Kreps ’ words , “ a huge undertaking .”
This is just one of the many ways that the peace studies and environmental studies programs are reaching out to the wider community . The students have been recognized by community members and great conversations have been sparked by this unexpected venture . A “ wasp hotline ” has even been set up to alert the team when a job comes in , and during the summer they had around five removals each week .
“ Doing the surveying is so necessary in learning how to interact with community members ,” Kreps said . “ Environmental studies is such a technical field that many of the students have challenges going out and talking to people face-to-face . But it ’ s so important to be able to do that outreach because not everyone has those skills and no matter where you go , those things are necessary .”
Among the other projects the interns worked on was developing a scientific curriculum to go along with a language camp for children at Koinonia , Manchester ’ s environmental retreat center , hosted by the Miami Nation of Indiana . This year ’ s annual peace studies alumni trip was a collaboration with the Miami Nation . Alumni and current students spent a day travelingT the region learning about local landmarks and spaces important to the Miami people .
able to develop meaningful connections with the farmers , having long conversations that ranged from sustainable gardening practices to the students ’ own passions .
While the experiences Beasley , Caylor and Kreps had as interns may have only lasted a few months , the skills and lessons learned will have a lasting impact on how they view their careers and the world .
“ As I ’ ve gotten my education at Manchester it ’ s become so clear to me that if I want to truly make a positive impact on the world , there ’ s no science that I can do without consideration of how it will affect people .”
“ As I ’ ve gotten my education at Manchester it ’ s become so clear to me that if I want to truly make a positive impact on the world , there ’ s no science that I can do without consideration of how it will affect people ,” Caylor said . “ It ’ s really cemented that you have to be conscientious no matter what you ’ re doing , whether or not you think it affects your community and people , because it will .”
Explore more photos of Beasley , Caylor and Kreps , along with the new campus gardens , here .
See videos of Manchester ’ s Wasp Team on Green Wasp Removal ’ s YouTube channel here .
The interns also worked at Joyfield Farm every Thursday , which Beasley called “ the highlight of everyone ’ s week .” Not only did they help with any tasks asked of them , but they were once again
Environmental studies summer interns Kora Beasley ( left ), Andrew Kreps ( center ), and Colleen Caylor ( right ).
Manchester | 21