It’s a summer vacation in the swamp for some Augustana college students. They’re interested in the strange behavior of certain turtles.
Trucking through swampy waters, Augustana’s Biology professor, Tim Muir and some students’ are on the hunt for one thing.
"Hopefully, there's some turtles in here,” says Muir.
They’re trying to learn how animals survive in low body temperatures. They look for pregnant turtles. Turtles are the best to study, because they freeze and essentially die in the winter and come back to life once the weather warms up and they thaw out.
"I’m definitely picking up a lot of extra information. I feel a little bit more informed,” says Henry Roderick, who’s attending Augustana in the fall.
They bring the turtles back to lab to weigh and measure them. Wait for the eggs to hatch then start their research.
"The really exciting stuff happens in the lab in the winter and when we get the data in and analyze the data,” says Muir.
A three hour trek through the swamp, students say there’s no better way to get hands on, "Finding something no one else has found before and answering new questions and stuff that no one’s thought of,” says Augustana student, Jimmy Wiebler.
