Autumn along a gravel road near Antigonish
I asked finishing students in Introductory Ecology to write a haiku about some aspect of the laboratories in the course. The results were varied and interesting, if sometimes unmetrical. Here are some of the best. It's Cold Outside Working outside in sometimes chill autumn weather appears to have made a lasting impression: Ecology lab Searching for invertebrates Freezing in the wind
Hands are freezing cold Wood quadrat frame in my hand Count, let's count again
Standing in the cold, Getting data for the lab Wish we stayed inside
Chilly days, no jacket Endless sweeps, never stopping Ecology class
Freezing cold outside Who doesn't love counting plants? Hypothermia
.although a few students struck a more positive note . . .
Ecology lab Was always interesting But sometimes freezing This is what outdoor laboratories used to look like, on a fine September Huge spiders, cold hands day. This area is now an athletic field. But happy to be outside Eco lab is grand
. . . and a few remembered something other than the cold:
Late September Rain boots, guided forest walk Mud is squishing, ew!
Out in the old field All plant species look the same Is that a clover?
Sweeping back and forth Spiders crawling in my net Field behind Lane Hall
. . . and a few even preferred the outdoor exercises:
More beans, more beans, why? Black beans, white beans, all till five. Let me go outside
(White beans and black beans were used in a simulation of mark-recapture population estimation.)
Can Aquatic Plants be a Poetic Metaphor?
Counting tiny duckweed plants in little plastic cups, to follow population growth, was a second major theme. Here is a small sampling of the dozens of contributions that hit this idea:
Duckweed in beakers Annoying daily counting Results did prove growth
Counting does not cease Thalli double as I watch They are never done
Duckweed go away We've seen you too many times So many numbers
Tedious counting Duckweed forever growing Over and over
Seat with no backrest Stuck counting duckweed forever Oh no! I lost count.
Duckweeds are little Making them very hard to count Tiny green floating plants
So many duckweed Lush green covers the water Just keep on counting
A few students even found a way to enjoy it:
Duckweed I love you Counting every day was fun But now it is done
(On the other hand, I have omitted contributions from several students whose frustration led to rather intemperate word choices.)
Let's Get This Down on Paper
As if counting duckweed wasn't tedious enough, they had to write a properly formatted report about it: Formal lab report 
Hitting my computer screen Doing regression
Countless articles Weekend plan: Typed essay Formal lab report
Duckweed counting t-test, regression, endless stats That is Ecology lab
So much to study Hurting my brain all the time Give me a good mark
Meanwhile, Back in the Laboratory
A number of students wrote of the predator-prey simulation, in which a blindfolded student "predator" uses her finger to find sandpaper "prey" . . .
Tall pins, short pins Rare prey spread across land Blindfolded guess
Blindfolds and push pins You have seven seconds left! Hungry are offspring
Eating strategies Generalist eats it all Specialist eats rare
Blindfolded, push-pins, Where is that damn sandpaper? . . . and now they are laughing.
A Course in Seventeen Syllables Some students succinctly summed up their entire laboratory experience: Duckweed, beans, tacks Counting till infinity and beyond Ecology lab
White beans, black beans Freezing weather, mathematics Three credits
Nature walks, counting bugs Calculating statistics Weekly Monday labs
Staying up long hours Stats, assignments and reports Rubber boots: a must
Trees, flowers, duckweed, Predation, diversity, Glad it is over
. . . and now its done, and time to relax:
Christmas is coming, Winter break is upon us, Snowflakes are falling
Rebels and Misfits
Of course, there are always those whose creative urges refuse to be channelled into any one poetic form:
I'm not a poet This doesn't even rhyme Refrigerator
Roses are red, Violets are blue Bonus points are great, But not worth a haiku
(But that poem was definitely worth the bonus point.) | ||
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