A purple hummingbird at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology (click for larger photo) – © 2012 Karina Chapman
“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” – Alice Walker
As always, the Friday Edition combines a quote with a favorite photo. I tailor these to the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge theme, which this week is “purple”.
Cornell. Harvard. MIT. Stanford. Notre Dame. Yale. These are the big leagues, and for a girl who graduated from a university in the California State system, they represent learning and education on a grand scale.
I love to visit colleges whenever I get the chance. The gorgeous campuses, the studious feel to the air, the students bustling around or laughing with each other, the buildings and the architecture… I love everything about them.
Of these mythic universities, so far I’ve visited the Harvard campus, where a friend-of-a-friend took us on a tour inside the legendary Harvard Lampoon “Castle”. I’ve also been lucky enough to attend a data workshop at MIT, which allowed me the geeky triple thrill of using the words “data”, “MIT”, and “I went to a workshop” all in the same sentence.
And now, I can add a new milestone: I’ve attended a science teachers’ workshop at Cornell.
Part of my three-day Cornell experience included dinner and a lecture by Dr. Eric Cole, a Professor of Biology at St. Olaf’s College. This dinner was held right inside the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Setting up for dinner in the Ornithology Lab – © 2012 Karina Chapman
The lecture by Dr. Cole was fantastic. He was inspiring to listen to. His earlier talk was about why teachers must focus on the positive when teaching science to kids–after all, how depressing is it to hear about global warming and environmental disaster, without anything positive to give one hope?
After our dinner at the Ornithology Lab, we wandered down the hall to a lecture room where he spoke about the overreliance by kids and teachers on trying to prove hypotheses.
Dr. Eric Cole, Professor of Biology at St. Olaf’s College – © 2012 Karina Chapman
Dr. Cole made a great case for the importance of simple observation. “There is an earlier stage [before hypotheses],” he said. “Observation and note taking, searching for patterns, and building descriptions.”
Photographers do this automatically. I’m sure many of us are known by our families and friends for stopping dead in the middle of something, suddenly wandering off, and contorting ourselves into weird positions to get a picture that nobody else noticed. The nice thing about this weekly photo challenge is we get a handy excuse to do it even more!
However, as a teacher, it’s unbelievably refreshing and delightful to be told that yes, observation is legitimate science. That is incredibly freeing, because observation is so often overlooked in the hustle of doing. A friend and fellow science teacher once waxed positively rhapsodic over the joy of simply watching ants. Oh, the things you can learn when you just watch!
I took the above picture while looking at observing, at length, a fantastic case full of hummingbird specimens. The display is an antique collection of 98 hummingbirds, which was restored in the past year or so. The birds were almost all stunning, although there was one bird that looked a bit like it was chewed up by a cat before being wrestled away and mounted in the display. I took a few pictures, but the one hummingbird I liked the most was this purple one, specimen #36.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of the legend showing which birds were which. I’m not even sure if this bird is endangered, or even still in existence. All I remember thinking about when I shot the picture was that my daughters wouldn’t believe the color.
I plan to take them to the Ornithology lab for a visit. Both my girls like birds, but my youngest really enjoys looking at them and listening to their calls, as well trying to call back. We’d like to go camping in New York State this summer, but whether it’s this year or next, I will definitely take my family to see Cornell, and the fabulous Ornithology Lab at Sapsucker Woods. It’s a wonderful place.
Aloha!
Birds in a display case at the Ornithology Lab – © 2012 Karina Chapman
Alice Walker came into my mind, too, when I read the challenge.
Posted by blueberriejournal | July 27, 2012, 2:47 pmIt seemed like a natural fit, didn’t it?
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 12:45 amYes, kind of like finishing a sentence.
Posted by blueberriejournal | July 28, 2012, 6:00 amFabulous post and great for the topic. I love the picture of the purple bird.
Posted by cobbies69 | July 27, 2012, 3:17 pmThank you so much!
It’s gorgeous, isn’t it? I wish I remembered to snap the legend showing which one it was. Next time I go…
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 12:34 amYes please. Speed pour me a margarita and one for my imaginary friend.
I enjoyed your post.
Posted by janna hill | July 27, 2012, 5:48 pmLove to. Heavier on the tequila or the triple sec?
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 12:45 amTequila for sure
Posted by janna hill | July 28, 2012, 1:14 amMe too.
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 4:40 pmHi Karina–Love this post. An amazing purple color on the bird and a wonderful story to go with it. Aloha! -Kate
Posted by Kate Walsh / designhouse9 | July 27, 2012, 11:33 pmAloha Kate…mahalo for the nice comment!
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 12:34 amUnique response to the challenge. NO one will have a stunning purple hummingbird. I just know it!
Terrific opportunity at Cornell.
Posted by rutheh | July 28, 2012, 1:06 amThanks! I was hoping nobody would but you never know..
Cornell was AWESOME. I love stuff like that. I discovered that these opportunities exist but you have to look. It cost me only gas to get there; they even provided the hotel and the food. My hubby’s done these things a bunch of times but this was really my first.
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 4:40 pmI love this: ” I’m sure many of us are known by our families and friends for stopping dead in the middle of something, suddenly wandering off, and contorting ourselves into weird positions to get a picture that nobody else noticed.”
Too true! I love the photo and I especially love your post, especially the part about science! Science and photography in one post . . . whee!
Posted by Carissa | July 28, 2012, 4:30 pmLol! Glad you appreciated it!
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 4:41 pmIncredible colours and bird shots, Karina! Must have been a marvellous experience to see the ornithology lab. I use their web site all the time, for ID:ing birds.
I’ve only been inside one university here in North Amercia … Université Laval, in Quebec City where my husband worked in anthropolgy/linguistics for thirty+ years. It was a rather modern looking place. I’ve been to several ones back home, and they were old.
Posted by Rebekah | July 28, 2012, 6:15 pmIt was an amazing place.
…anthropology and linguistics? You must have fascinating conversations!
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 7:00 pmyeah, I guess we do
We dissect words a lot..
Posted by Rebekah | July 28, 2012, 9:33 pmThat’s heaven to a geek like me. My favorite class in high school was Latin origins. Lots of etymology.
Posted by AlohaKarina | July 28, 2012, 10:33 pmin his youth, he was going to become a Catholic priest, studied for fourteen years … in Rome and all that, before he jumped ship. He still remembers LOTS of Latin..
Posted by Rebekah | July 28, 2012, 10:36 pm