We learned about this summer program through Jacob’s new school The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. In May 2023, Bill Gatton, the man who founded the Gatton Academy, made a $100 million-dollar-donation to the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky through the Bill Gatton Foundation. As a result, this college has been renamed the Carol-Martin College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Also bearing Bill Gatton’s namesake is the Gatton College of Business and Economics which received a multi-million-dollar gift from Mr. Gatton in 1995.

Thanks to his new school, Jacob got to participate in this program for free. We would have had to pay $500 for Jacob to participate if he were not enrolled in Gatton Academy.

Robinson Forest

Robinson Forest is a research, education, and extension forest owned by the University of Kentucky and managed by the Department of Forestry in the Carroll-Martin College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Covering 14,786 acres (59.84 km²) in Breathitt, Knott and Perry counties in Kentucky’s Cumberland Plateau region, the main block of Robinson Forest contains approximately 10,000 contiguous acres while the remaining acreage is found in outlying tracts.

The cabin where the students stayed

These cabins were constructed from salvaged American chestnut trees killed by the chestnut blight.

Jacob’s insect collection

At the camp, Jacob learned to collect, preserve and arrange insects for his collection. He told us this activity is artistic in nature as they had to learn how to arrange the insects in such a way that makes the entire collection aesthetically pleasing to the beholders. We all love the ethereally looking Luna moth — the “star” of his collection.

Photos from Jacob’s time there

They showed us this video at the closing ceremony of this program when we were there to pick up Jacob.

Through this program, Jacob learned that he doesn’t want to work in the fields of natural resources at university and beyond. He did enjoy his time at this summer camp and learned a lot of information about the natural world. He especially enjoyed the evening campfire sessions where they sat around eating smores and telling ghost stories to each other. We enjoyed his stories about the people there, especially about some of the students and the UK professors leading this program. After meeting all the professors at the closing ceremony and listening to Jacob’s anecdotes, we thought the Entomology professor Blake was a particularly interesting personality.

I will post updates about our upcoming summer family adventures next month. We hope everyone has a healthy, safe and relaxing summer.