TILLERS. The idea for this journal was stimulated by two significant events at Grinnell College, the inauguration of the Center for Prairie Studies and changes in the Biology Department's curriculum. The former is a college-wide effort to connect faculty and students with our prairie place -- geographically, biologically, historically, and aesthetically. It seeks to undermine our tendency to ignore the lessons of our own locales, and thus cultivate in ourselves an appreciation of place, wherever that may come to be. Concurrently, the Biology Department began a series of changes in curriculum that further emphasize active learning. As one of several sections of Introduction to Biological Inquiry, Prairie Restoration will introduce students to basic concepts in biology while emphasizing the ways that biologists ask questions, test hypotheses through observation and experimentation, and communicate their results. The journal creates a community of learning across the years, allowing students to build upon and modify the studies of their predecessors -- just like scientists!
Image: Cover art Volume 3, © 2002 Summer Ventis.
