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The
National Science Foundation sponsors a program called Chautauqua. Through the
program, college teachers such as Schroder can take courses in almost any
science field for a minimal cost. Schroder’s most recent trip, a course in
Hawaii on marine biology, and many other previous courses have been through
Chautauqua.
Schroder
spent a week in Oahu looking at beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving to study
the impact of tourists on the environment. For the course, they also examined a
deep reef in Maui. The reef, approximately 125 feet below the ocean surface, was
at a depth many of the people in the course felt uncomfortable diving to, so the
group used a submarine. Schroder explained that while the water there is clear
enough that light still comes through to that depth, some colors are filtered
out.
Schroder
had previously learned this while snorkeling in the Bahamas. "I had a head
cold, but I knew I couldn’t come back the next week after I got rid of the
cold. So, I was snorkeling down to 35 feet… and back up again, and down, and
up… I noticed this metallic green color inside my mask and stared at it as I
was going up. It went from green to grey… to red! Blood!"
When
the marine biology course ended, Schroder stayed on for yet another week in
Hawaii to take a course on volcanoes. He admitted that he knew little about
volcanoes, except what he learned from watching documentaries, and that
volcanoes have little to do with his teaching, but he couldn’t help but be
captivated by the prospect. He spent the next week looking at old volcanoes
throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The group also traversed some very hot lava
flows. Schroder added that no one in the group had soles left on their hiking
boots at the end of the week.
Schroder has
been taking about one course per year. Topics of courses he has taken in the
past include viruses, protein isolation/identification (electrophoresis), DNA
fingerprinting, fossils, dinosaurs, photosynthesis, computers and tropical
botany.
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In
addition to helping him keep up on the latest information in his
fields of science, the courses help Schroder keep excitement in the
classroom. "The idea is to bring it back to your students. I
took cameras with me underwater and took lots of pictures… It’s
one thing to say to a student, ‘Well, I read somewhere that…’
as opposed to, ‘Last summer I did this! Here’s a chunk of fresh
lava I got!’"
This
fall, Schroder is taking a one-year leave from his teaching to study
mainframe computers and programming at ISU. He currently holds a BA
and an MS in biology and an MST in science education, yet will
continue to involve himself in adult education and graduate studies.
But
besides traveling far and wide for courses, Schroder has also been
in on conservation projects here in the area. Most notably, he took
part in the Funks Grove restoration project. At the Funks Grove
location, a national conservancy group purchased an area of
farmland. Conservationists planted part of the purchased land with
native trees such as hickory, walnut, and a variety of oaks. They
also cleared out fallow areas and planted them with prairie grass.
The work was done purely for educational purposes. Schroder is able
to take his classes there on field trips to give them hands-on
experience. Schroder is currently volunteering at a few locations in
the area, maintaining small, restored plots.
His
love for science spills over into everything. At his rural Lincoln
estate, Schroder spends time working in his yard or admiring the
wildlife that his vegetation attracts. He is also interested in
computers. He and his wife, Barbara, who works as a teacher at
Lincoln Department of Corrections, have two children: Jennifer
Pasquale, a dietician for Heritage Manor Nursing, and Andy, who is
finishing a degree in computer science. They also have five dogs and
one cat.
[Trisha
Youngquist]
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