Biodiversity Day at AUB

The end of the semester is finally in sight. I have one more week of classes, then a bunch of grading, and then it's over until late September. Whew! It's hard to believe that I've almost finished my first year at AUB. It's been a pretty good one so far, I must say.

One of the many end-of-semester events that have been taking place lately is IBDAA, or AUB's biodiversity celebration. "Ibdaa" means something like "creative energy" in Arabic, and it seemed like a good way to describe the 140-plus student projects that were on display on Friday afternoon. A big outdoor area on campus was full of bulletin boards displaying colorful posters detailing the results of chemistry and physics experiments related to biodiversity or recycling. Some students were displaying buttons they had made out of potato starch. Other students explained to me how electricity can be generated using lemon juice, zinc, copper, and a bunch of wires. Still others showed how to make soap, or how to make "white coffee", which is really hot water infused with rose or orange blossom essence.

Students from my American Wilderness class added a touch of the humanities to the largely science-dominated event. Several had made posters comparing conservation efforts in Lebanon (unfavorably) to those in the US. One student profiled the Palm Islands off the coast of Lebanon, which had recovered from a plague of invasive rabbits only to be victimized by the oil spills resulting from the 2006 war. Other students wrote creative pieces in which the natural world figured prominently. It was fun seeing the students looking so proud of their efforts.

A literature student of mine made a fun game that involved guessing one of six natural scents and then touching a wire to the answer, like in the game "Operation."

Another student made a poster detailing land mine use around the world. The map showed the countries that still have land mines in them (i.e., most countries), and the countries that did not (the US, Canada, most of Europe, and some of Russia). The poster then explained that the countries that don't have mines in them are the countries that provide them to the rest of the world. Nice. She then shocked me by saying that in 2000, a good friend of hers had been killed by a landmine in the south of Lebanon. The friend and her whole family had been killed when their car detonated one of the landmines that still littered that area.

It was nice to get a chance to talk to my students more than I usually have time to during the normal routine. It was a moment to slow down a bit amidst the hectic end of semester. We'll get another chance to slow down on Monday, which the government suddenly and surprisingly declared a holdiay: National Liberation Day, which I think marks the liberation of some southern villages from Israeli occupation. It is a holiday on the calendar, but I'm told that it is unusual for schools and offices to shut down for it. Is it election related? Some think so. Whatever its motivation, I will relish the time to rest and get caught up before the semester ends for good. And happy Memorial Day to all of you!