Schenectady High School graduate Fareeza Islam helps build pre-K nature center at Colgate University

2013 May 14

Fareeza Islam, of Schenectady NY, a member of the Colgate University class of 2014, is one of five students in biology professor Krista Ingram's spring semester Community-based Study of Environmental Issues course that worked to convert an old barn into a hands-on nature center designed to spark the curiosity of preschoolers.

See the video here.

"The whole idea behind the course is that the students do projects in the community," Ingram said. "The amount of work they put in was absolutely phenomenal ... they did a lot of research on New York state standards for what teachers would be looking for at different age groups, and they looked at other nature centers in the area. There's sensory tables and stuffed animals. There's a way of using what children love to help them understand science."

Colgate University is a highly selective residential liberal arts institution distinguished by a commitment to global engagement, student-faculty research, off-campus study, sustainable practices, and utilizing technology to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

Colgate offers 53 majors to a diverse student body of approximately 2,900 undergraduate students, and supports 25 Division I athletic teams. The university's 515-acre campus in rural central New York is renowned for its beauty and for the important role it plays in the student experience.