Professor Jeffrey DaCosta encourages students to 'leaf peep' during the fall season

Students in Biology Professor Jeffrey DaCosta's Ecology and Evolution class have been studying the phenology of the trees on campus. As Professor DaCosta explains, phenology is the study of the timing of biological events, such as trees stopping the maintenance of chlorophyll in the fall. Students in his class are each assigned two trees on campus to observe, take photos of, and record an estimated percentage of foliage change and leaf loss. The hope is to create a long-term data set that will one day serve as an authentic and nearby testament to the effects of climate change on the environment. Read more in The Environmental Eagle, a newsletter from BC's EcoPledge and the Office of Sustainability.