#  How to do field work when you can't get to the field! 

 





September 03, 2020

 

 

- [ News ](/news-categories/news)
 
 

 

 How do you do botany fieldwork for a course during COVID when classes are online? Prof. Charles Davis developed an online botany course, [Plant Biodiversity in the Digital Age](https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/students/courses/plant-biodiversity-in-the-digital-age.html), taught at the University of Michigan. Instead of conducting research at the University's [Biological Station (UMBS)](https://lsa.umich.edu/umbs/about-us.html) as usual, students used smartphones and an AI-powered app to identify flora in their own homes. Prof. Davis also created a slack channel for students to discuss their findings and help identify specimens when the students were stumped. The course was covered by *[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-do-scientific-field-work-when-you-cant-get-to-the-right-field-11599163221)*.

#####  ***Image: Students play plant bingo using specimens from near their homes***



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Faculty News ](/news-type/faculty-news)
- [ 2020 ](/news-year/2020)