Batemon of Lumberton Spends Widener University Spring Break Studying in Peru

2015 Apr 13

Emily Batemon, a senior psychology major at Widener University from Lumberton, N.J., recently spent spring break on a study abroad trip to Peru.

Batemon is a student in the spring semester course at Widener titled Tropical Ecology Laboratory. The course requires students to design and carry out a research project that is completed during a one-week fieldtrip experience in a tropical forest environment.

For their project, Batemon and classmates examined the microclimate of the rainforest in Peru. They examined the temperature profiles at different levels within the forest and also looked at how storms affect the microclimatic characteristics.

Now back at Widener, the class is currently analyzing its data and will share results with other researchers through their professor, Dr. Stephen Madigosky. Dr. Itzick Vatnick, professor of biology, biochemistry and environmental science, assisted Madigosky with the lab component of the course.

Widener University is a metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, leadership development and experiential learning are key components of the Widener experience. A comprehensive doctorate-granting university, Widener is comprised of eight schools and colleges that offer liberal arts and sciences, professional and pre-professional curricula leading to associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. The university's campuses in Chester, Exton and Harrisburg, Pa., and Wilmington, Del., serve some 6,000 students. Widener is proud to be a tobacco-free university. Visit the university's website, www.widener.edu.