Ross Reserve Facility
Among the Purdue courses that make extensive use of the Reserve every year are Ecology, Field Ecology and Conservation Biology. Student projects for these courses have investigated a wide variety of processes at the Reserve, using both experimental and observational approaches. These have included in vertebrate & invertebrate behavior, population dynamics, plant and animal community ecology, limnology, soils, climatology, biological diversity at several levels of organization, and conservation issues like invasion of natural communities by exotic species and pollution of aquatic habitats.
Purdue ecologists also offer a summer Placement in Environmental Science at the Reserve, in addition to other shorter workshops. These workshops establish the feasibility of teaching in a natural environment, using an effective hands-on approach that demonstrates fundamental principles. Teachers use the Reserve to hone skills like plant identification while experimenting with methodology. Decades of student field studies have generated a rich source of inspiration for students today. Data sets from many of these studies are archived for use by visiting classes, and local high schools have successfully exploited this resource.