Chemistry students performing soils and groundwater testing. Art students installing senior project exhibits. Business students conducting capstone class strategic research. These are just a few of the experiential learning opportunities that Titan students are taking part in at the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton.
A 26-acre site at the north end of CSUF’s campus, the Arboretum is a world-class “living laboratory” and home to some of the most unique plant collections both locally and from around the world.
In addition to its mission of promoting education, research and conservation, the CSUF-owned Arboretum seeks to partner with faculty from across the university’s eight colleges by offering a distinctive setting for student instruction.
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“We want to hear from the faculty member what it is that they’re looking for and what their needs are, and then we figure out how we can meet those needs,” said Arboretum Director Greg Dyment.
Faculty can initiate the process by filling out an online interest form describing what type of class and activity they would like to host at the Arboretum. Whether the request is to host a literature lecture, a kinesiology yoga session, an arts exhibit or a botany research project, the Arboretum can accommodate the request.
“We ask them to expand on some of the concepts they are learning about in their class and to share some of the learning outcomes from their syllabi that are being met via the experience that they plan to have at the Arboretum,” said Academic & Environmental Program Coordinator Justin Villasenor.
Villasenor’s role is to interface with CSUF faculty to determine how the Arboretum can best achieve the desired learning goals. Some classes use the Arboretum once or twice a semester, while others meet in the site’s outdoor classroom for the entirety of the course.
“The students are not just learning something in a classroom from a textbook or a PowerPoint, but they’re actually here looking at something, and they can touch what they’re learning about,” Villasenor said.
H. Jochen Schenk, a biological sciences professor at CSUF who specializes in plant physiology, has been using the Arboretum for class instruction and student research for nearly 20 years. One of his courses this semester is Global Change Biology, and his students are using the Arboretum to complete a public outreach project that they will present next month.
“The projects are supposed to inform visitors to the Arboretum about ecosystem services by plants, specifically the impact of plants, and especially trees, on local climates,” Schenk said.
Schenk is also teaching a course this semester called Explore Core: Truth, an interdisciplinary course that examines the intersections between science, liberal studies and philosophy.
“So (the students) learn about truth from a philosophical, historical and science perspective, and I take them (to the Arboretum) to take some basic measurements and just get a feel for collecting scientific data, which is the basis for all science,” Schenk said.
Other ways Schenk has used the Arboretum as his outdoor classroom include his field botany courses, which have the students on site nearly the entire semester. He and his colleagues in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics also have several students who conduct independent research at the site on a range of subjects.
“For us plant-focused people, it’s just irreplaceable,” said Schenk of the Arboretum. “We go up there all the time for all kinds of plant-related things. I can’t imagine not having that,” Schenk said.
Beyond the sciences, the Arboretum has provided experiential learning opportunities for students and faculty from across all eight of the university’s colleges. Some recent examples include engineering students who are designing pest management devices, graphic design students who are learning how to use augmented reality and communication students who are learning event planning and management by hosting the Garden Flea Market held each the spring.
The Arboretum is also an approved service learning site for CSUF’s Center for Internships and Community Engagement where students can earn service learning hours or participate in a number of on-campus internship opportunities, including the PRISE (Promoting Resources in Informal Science Education) Summer Internship for future STEM teachers and the E3 (Engaging Environmental Experiences) Internship, a program that provides students a pathway to develop leadership and interdisciplinary skills, while learning ecological principles and horticultural practices.
Additionally, the Arboretum is aligned with several of the goals developed for Fullerton Forward, CSUF’s 2024 – 2029 strategic plan, including enhancing support for student access, learning and academic success, and fostering student engagement and well-being.
Much more than a green space, the sky’s the limit for how the Arboretum can serve both the CSUF campus and the Titan community.
“I like to say the only limiting factor to what can be done out here is what we can think of or dream of because you can do virtually almost anything here,” Dyment said. “It’s a great big opportunity on a small campus with lots of people that come here daily.”
