Bats and snakes and roaches, oh my!

Hughes high school ninth-grader peers through a microscope during Biology Day. Photo/Hannah White

The intent of the program is to increase interest in STEM programs, to introduce students to different fields in biology and to scholarly research at UC, and to build relationships with the community, said Stephanie Rollmann, UC professor of biology, who co-founded the event in 2015.

This year, 13 faculty members opened their labs for a learning experience few students would forget.

"Every year, students tell us this is their favorite field trip of the school year," said Douglas Stevens, ninth-grade English teacher at Hughes High School, who with Rollmann has been involved in the program since it began.

Handling hissing cockroaches. Photo/Hannah White

"Biology Day opens minds and opens doors for ninth-grade students at Hughes to consider futures for themselves that they would not otherwise have considered."

He adds: "So many times, I hear 'Dr. Stevens, I didn't think I'd be able to do that, but I eventually got up the courage and I can't believe I actually injected the cockroach with blue dye!'"

Kids and teens are often drawn by curiosity to explore the natural world, and the opportunity for tactile experience-and pushing their own personal boundaries-are one hallmark of the day.

Students scour creek samples to find elusive stream creatures. Photo/Hannah White

"Biology Day takes ninth-graders pretty far outside of their comfort zones with the labs," said Stevens, "and students end up learning about capacities and potential abilities that they would not have known were it not for this hands-on, interactive experience.

"While we respect the boundaries of our students, and there are always a few who choose to watch and not engage as deeply, there are far more students who start off watching tentatively as their peers handle the items in the lab, and choose to fully participate after getting over their initial hesitation. I this sense, it is a true learning experience."

High school students go fishing for frogs during UC's Biology Day. Photo/Hannah White

There was plenty of splishing and splashing in the amphibian lab, run by professor of biological sciences Dan Buchholz. Students gathered around a tub of frogs, taking turns hand-fishing to meet them up close.

"I need a rain coat," one Hughes student said, while another proclaimed, "this is a face only a mother could love."

In the stream ecology lab, run by biological sciences professor Ken Petren, students scooped through samples of rocks taken from urban and rural streams, competing to find as many specimens as they could.

Beyond the experience of the day, the Biology Day program is designed to encourage curiosity and open up futures.

"For our ninth-graders at Hughes, this is the first formal exposure many of them have to life on a college campus," Stevens said. "Biology Day helps demystify the college experience, and help it feel more attainable and less intimidating than it would have otherwise."

Featured image at top: High school students meet frogs up close during UC's 10th annual Biology Day. Photo/Hannah White