Co-Explorers Science & Art Together
Welcome to our website!
Journaling and nature exploration can be a shared experience. On this page we have a little bit about ourselves, including behind-the-scenes posts on how we make media and teach science. Also meet the historical and present-day naturalists, artists, and scientists that inspire and travel alongside us in our nature adventures.
Our Jobs
We are biology instructors at Oregon State University in the heart of the Willamette Valley. In 30 years we have taught over 45,000 students, representing 72 majors and can’t imagine more rewarding lifetime careers.
Our Hobbies
We spend our free time making media; photos, videos, paintings, collage, and object assemblages. Most projects are nature-themed and final products have been featured in magazines, as cover art, and in art shows.
Putting it Together
In recent years we have been bringing our art expertise to science teaching with project “VividScience.” This includes producing and publishing free online resources that support students in viewing science and the natural world in new ways. In addition to the courses at this website, we have six other biology courses that highlight links between the arts and sciences.
Visit our other science discovery courses at:
Marianne North
Artists open our minds to experience the world in a new way. Marianne North traveled the world and showed how the exotic could be found in the everyday.
Journal Companions
Sometimes the best co-explorers are our constant companions; the cats, dogs, and rest of the menagerie that inspire us to take photos and try new things, Our Bengal cats get us outside everyday, enjoying nature rain or shine.
Charles Darwin
Journaling has a long history in science. Before cameras, naturalists sketched the world and wrote detailed notes that described their explorations. Charles Darwin’s notes made him famous before he published a single book. This is a photo of notes Charles Darwin made about barnacles, marine organisms with jointed feeding structures. Scientists and other science-related professionals […]
Video Shoots
After careful planning, gathering objects, and writing scrips, shooting videos always ends up being barely controlled chaos. The wind is gusting, rain comes and goes, and the goal is getting a solid take to avoid editing later.