Students who participated in this spring’s Semester by the Bay program at Kachemak Bay Campus presented their final practicum projects on Thursday, May 1, in Pioneer Hall. Semester by the Bay offers undergraduate students from across the country the opportunity to study the biological sciences in Alaska and pursue research and learning opportunities that utilize the unique resources present in Kachemak Bay.
In the fall, students focus on marine mammals. In the spring, they learn about environmental conservation. The projects presented on Thursday were part of the student’s “final practicum” class.
Olivia Holdaway ‘Search and Find’ program and magnetic poster
Holdaway presented a program for youth that she created in the vein of similar “Search and Find” and Youth Ranger program games. Holdaway’s version of the game takes young, theoretical visitors to Chowiet Island on a ranger excursion, where interested youth are hired as biologists and must investigate the storyline through questions like “How long have biologists been collecting data on the refuge?” and “What other species compete with common murres for food and space?”
Holdaway noted that research by local biologist Heather Renner has pointed to the fact that the common murre die-off was the largest wildlife die-off in recorded history. She hopes that through the excursion and supplemental materials she created, youth in middle and high schools would be inspired to learn and engage with refuge staff.
Nyla Klein series of illustrative, informational posters
Klien designed and presented a series of engaging, illustrative posters for her final project. She said that as a child she used to love going through picturebooks of marine animals, and hoped to create a series of posters that were visually appealing while also providing important information. Additionally, she wanted the posters to be accessible, affordable and interesting to middle school-aged youth. The posters covered beluga whales, caribou, humpback whales, spruce beetles and beaked whales. QR codes on the posters enable viewers to access additional information and resources online.
Amiah Jared adaptation of ‘Guess Who?’ game to Kachemak Bay
Jared created a printable, insertable “Guess Who?” board with relevant Kachemak Bay creatures for a fun and educational twist on the classic game. She said she envisions teachers guiding a casual conversation with students before the activity to properly educate kids and introduce the content as an exploration of knowledge, rather than a lesson.
By asking students similar questions before and after the game, educators can more easily assess what students learned. Jared said she paid about $20 for the game, which could be customized with any number of locally designed boards, making it an easily accessible and lasting resource for educators.
Madelyn Eisenbeisz scrapbook and supplemental information guide
Eisenbeisz created a scrapbook and supplemental information guide to help show her family and friends the wonders of Alaska wildlife. The scrapbook featured “intertidal zone sea animals” they discovered while exploring Petersen Bay, as well as sections on sea otters, Steller sea lions, caribou and porpoise monitoring.
Megan Bell invasive species stations booklet and lesson plan
Bell created an invasive species stations booklet and lesson plan, with cards to assist elementary school students learning about invasive species and the effects they can have on ecosystems. She said the lesson plan format was partially inspired by her mother, who is a teacher. The name of the imaginary elementary school on the lesson plan (“Ring-neck Pheasant Elementary”) was in honor of Bell’s research project on the local ring-neck pheasant population.
The goal of the lesson plan was to help students understand through hands-on learning the impacts invasive species can have on ecosystems. Bell created several games to explore these ideas, including a building block game in which students pull cards and watch kudzu, an invasive vine, grow rapidly. She also created an activity for zebra mussels and a version of Jenga with blocks labeled as native or invasive species.
Another game, used to illustrate the effects of the European sparrow, involves two players (one playing as an invasive species and one as a native species) drawing paper slips meant to represent resources from a bowl. The invasive species is allowed two hands to draw from the bowl each turn, while the native species is only allowed one hand. Players pull until the bowl is empty.
Aleyna Harris informational guide for Wynn Nature Center
Harris designed an informational guide for those visiting the Wynn Nature Center, with the intention of fostering a sense of environmental stewardship and awareness among visitors.
The guide delves into the boreal forest ecosystem present at the Wynn by helping readers identify local wildlife and native plant species. Information and illustrations of native plants like red elderberry, fireweed, chocolate lily, and devil’s club are explored in the guide, as well as local wildlife species like moose, snowshoe hares, black bears and red squirrels.
Harris also included a “How you can help?” section where readers are urged to support conservation organizations by volunteering, advocating for climate change solutions, and “sharing your love of forests with others.”
Siobhan Duffy lesson plan on magnetic poles and compass navigation
Duffy created a comprehensive lesson plan for third through fifth graders on magnetic poles and basic compass navigation. She said she was inspired by a friend’s dad who was a navigation instructor. From an early age he taught them about magnetic poles and how to properly navigate by compass, something Duffy described as a “fun and important skill.”
Prarie Sievers ‘Forms and Fibers,’ an exploration of shape and color
Sievers’s project evolved from her interest in functional arts, particularly ceramics and fiber arts, and her desire to incorporate “real” materials into her work. She used clay sourced from Kachemak Bay to create a formed wall hanging to display other curated pieces of nature from around Homer, including seashells, rocks and more.
“Clay is more than just a material. It’s a witness to time and a bridge between the ancient past and the present. It’s a rock formed within the earth that has made its way to the surface and undergone eons of weathering and erosion,” one of her presentation slides reads.
The idea of the context of ancient history, combined with the interplay between clay minerals and earth systems, and “the cyclical nature of ceramics,” she said, is something she deeply appreciates.
Sievers also explored how to use locally sourced plants like nettles and blueberries as natural dyes, studying traditional methods used by the Indigenous people of the area.
Cory Johnson’s conceptual art within a scientific discipline
Cory Johnson prepared two art pieces for their final project. One, a textured, 3D piece presented the life cycle of salmon as a collage with lace and little pink beads meant to represent roe. Johnson said they learned a lot about the different kinds of salmon and their individual life stages through researching the project.
The second piece was a whale collage. Johnson said the original hope was to illustrate whale migration patterns, and said they hope to write a longer piece about the behavioral patterns which oftentimes shape whale migration. The piece was inspired by “the humanity of whales and the emotional intelligence they contain.”
Javin Schroeder’s map of Kachemak Bay currents
A seasonal employee of Mako’s Water Taxi on the Homer Spit, student Javin Schroeder prepared a map of Kachemak Bay currents, noting that it could provide a useful aid in discussing the waters of Kachemak Bay with tourists.
Reach reporter Chloe Pleznac at chloe.pleznac@homernews.com
Amiah Jared points out Sandhill Cranes as an example on the modified “Guess Who?” game board she created for her final practicum on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Kachemak Bay Campus, in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
Nyla Klein displays a digital poster she created for her final practicum on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Kachemak Bay Campus, in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
