Wright State woods | Photograph by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
“[The Runkle Woods Symposium is to] celebrate our beautiful forest. It’s so special that Wright State University has its own old-growth forest,” said Dr. Audrey McGowin, chemistry professor and organizer of the Symposium. “People don’t realize the beauty that exists on our campus.”
For the second year, the colleges and schools of Liberal Arts, Science and Math, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Biological Sciences will be hosting the Runkle Woods Symposium.
This event is dedicated to Wright State University’s woods.
Among the topics that will be discussed are water quality on-campus and preservation of the woods.
“We are going to present data on the presence of certain organic pollutants from sediments near the parking lots. We will be talking about how much is there, where it came from and what it means for the WSU woods and surrounding areas of campus,” said Baxter Foskuhl, second-year chemistry graduate in the College of Science and Math.
From rare bats to woodpeckers to the fish in the stream, participants can learn more about their campus as well as experience and/or produce wonderful art.
“Despite a lot of heavy traffic, WSU’s woods are beautiful. It houses a lot of species of animals and insects. Showcasing all the beauty that is there will be amazing,” said Foskuhl.
The collaboration between the different colleges creates a great mixture of science and art.
With art that is inspired by the woods, the Symposium gives students the opportunity to embrace their creative side and learn in the process.
Student art will be on display and there will be poetry readings and a keynote on biology by Biology Sciences Professor Tom Rooney.
Punch and coffee, along with McGowin’s famous peanut butter cookies will also be provided.
“I was astounded to find out how many people are using the woods for different things, [like] creative things, research [and] art and nobody was talking about it. Once we got everyone together, the collaboration was amazing,” said McGowin.
There will be a discussion on how to preserve the woods as well as how to make it more accessible.
“[The woods] increases people’s mental health [and] well-being. The biological and water quality concerns are [also] being proven now. That’s a narrative that I think should be told: [the woods] is an asset to the university in every single way,” said Foskuhl.
McGowin hopes that the Symposium will inspire students to appreciate the beauty that is around them.
“One thing WSU can celebrate as a community in the woods because it brings a lot of different people together and it is so unique to us. We have 200 acres of beautiful woods that will stand here for the rest of the time; that’s priceless,” said Foskuhl.
Having visited the woods once a week for 40 years, Dr. Jim Runkle, professor emeritus in biological sciences, admires the woods for its educational properties and intellectual importance.
“The woods also are a source of personal enjoyment and relaxation for many. Walks in the woods help many of us recharge ourselves. Psychological studies elsewhere demonstrate the importance of occasional walks into natural areas. We are very fortunate to have a diverse and interesting woods easy walking distance from the campus buildings,” said Dr. Runkle.
As a dedicated participant and speaker at last year’s symposium, Runkle hopes that students will take advantage of this magnificent resource at their fingertips.
“I hope students that attend the symposium gain an appreciation for a rich resource that very few other institutions have,” said Runkle. “We have a reason to be very proud of this aspect of our university and of how well WSU has taken care of it. I also hope that students are inspired to visit the woods on their own or in conjunction with classes that use it. Understanding some of their features makes our time here more enjoyable.”
