To Preserve and Protect: Eka’s Biological and Environmental Issues Class

Caleb Masterson | Editor-in-Chief
July 26, 2023

If one went looking for the Biological and Environmental Issues focus area class, it would be exceedingly difficult to spot them anywhere within the perimeter. The class, taught by faculty member Eka Elumalai, frequently ventures out into the wild to study environmental issues firsthand. I followed the class as they took their final trip out to study a local creek, and I found that they’re not afraid of getting their hands dirty for the sake of learning.

The class met outside of Franklin Hall on a sweltering Monday morning; it was only 10 AM, yet the heat was oppressive already. Some students assured me that we had quite the walk ahead. Intrigued, I followed them as they led me off the campus and along the main road for a stretch, before making a turn onto a dirt road. They proceeded to trek into the grass, kicking off their shoes and replacing them with galoshes by the edge of the forest.

As I followed them into the trees, I saw several of them stooping down to collect water from the creek flowing through, and inquired as to what they were doing.

“So we’ve been learning about the quality of the water through various tests, because our class is focused around the issues that surround our biological environment,” said scholar Amelia Connally. “At first glance, this creek that we’ve been coming to looks healthy. It’s green. It has clear water. But through our water quality testing, it’s been really surprising to learn that, you know, it’s not it’s not as pretty as it looks, unfortunately.”

“When we took a trip to the sewage plant, we took samples of the water there. Some of them were very difficult to take because it was raw sewage, so it was it was very difficult to determine the water quality at times,” said scholar Claire Cooper. “But one of our tests is for E. coli. And so we’re studying all of the results from those tests, seeing what is in this water because the sewage treatment plant actually runs into this creek. Now we’re testing the water all the way downstream here, just seeing what the differences are.”

The tests were done in a few minutes, leaving me time to talk to the instructor, Eka.

“The theme of my class is personally connecting environmental and biological issues to our own lives,” said Eka. “I want the scholars to have a lifelong learning process. I always tell them that when they become civic leaders, they need to come up with some regulations to mitigate all these manmade disasters.”

After packing up the test gear, the class prepared to head back to Murray State. They clambered out of the creek and went back to the grass outside the forest, trading their boots for their old shoes. As we headed off, I asked the scholars if they had taken away any important life lessons from their time in the class.

“We’ve learned to be more mindful of what we put into the environment, for sure,” said Claire Cooper. “One of the first things we did was look at how much gas we use, how many fossil fuels we use, how much water it takes to dilute stuff like detergent that we put into the water without even thinking. It really put it into perspective for me.”

“I think that I’ve learned a lot about different perspectives on environmental issues,” said Amelia Connally. “We’ve had a lot of debates that have been very eye opening, learning what people think that live in different places around the state. I live in the city, I live in Louisville. So it’s been interesting hearing from people who live on farms or have different lifestyles for me and how their lives are different and how their views on environmental issues are different.”

“Eka’s taught me about coordination, flexibility and adaptability and and importance of kindness and friendship. And overall, he’s such a great role model to me and definitely deserves a promotion,” said scholar Rehan Hamid.

Overall, Eka’s Biological and Environmental Issues class is working to bring awareness to the effects of humanity on the world around us. Their trips to the creek have given them firsthand experience in field research, allowed them to test for pollution and bacteria in local water sources, and taught them the effect of consumerism on nature. These lessons will last these scholars a lifetime.