Phyllis Graber Jensen

Phyllis produces photography and video for college news and major marketing pieces, including web-based multimedia. She has strategic oversight of story-telling video projects.

Stories by Phyllis Graber Jensen
Zoe Knauss '23 of Buffalo, N.Y., who will declare as an ES major, and ES major Sam Gilman '22 of Mendham, N.J., , dig for soil in a field.Prof of Environmental Studies and Christian A. Johnson Prof of Interdisc Studies Holly Ewing and Lecturer in Environmental Studies & Learning Associate in Environmental Studies Camille Parrish take students in the Soils/Lab course for a field trip to Pettengill Farm in Freeport, Maine. A nineteenth century salt-water farm on the estuary of the Harraseeket River, the farm is owned by Freeport Historical Society(FHS). It includes a saltbox house (ca. 1800) on 140 acres of fields, woods, antique apple orchards and salt marsh. Most interesting are the etchings (sgraffitti) found on the plaster walls in the upper chambers of ships, sea monsters, longboats and animals. The farmhouse remains without plumbing, central heat and electricity and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Mildred Pettengill was its last resident and lived in the house until 1970.The students are digging up soil and making observations (soil profiles) before putting it back where it came from.ENVR 310 - Soils/LabDepending on one's point of view, soils are geological units, ecosystems, the foundation of plant life, a place for microbes to live, building material, or just dirt. This course takes a scientific perspective and explores the genesis of soils, their distribution and characteristics, and their interaction with plants. Field studies emphasize description of soils, inferences about soil formation, and placement within a landscape context. Labs investigate the chemistry of soils and their role in forestry and agriculture.
Picture story: “Thankful to get off campus and my hands dirty”

Thursday, October 8, 2020 4:01 pm

Follow along as Bates environmental studies students go off campus and dig into the science of dirt at a stunning coastal Maine site.

Slideshow: This Month at Bates

Monday, September 21, 2020 2:11 pm

Six feet and masks mark our lives but the members of our community fill Bates with a love of learning and each other. Take a look at This Month at Bates and count the ways.

Slideshow: See how students’ internships become life-guiding forces

Tuesday, August 18, 2020 12:30 pm

From studying the diets of sea urchins to working with Lewiston's immigrant communities, Bates students forged their way into the world this summer with Bates-funded internships.

Slideshow: This Summer at Bates

Monday, August 10, 2020 12:52 pm

Under the pall of COVID-19, summer at Bates was quieter (and warmer) than usual. Still, the sun continued to rise and set each day of June, July, and August.

My Last Year of Teaching: Jane Costlow’s departure prompts reflections on past, present, and future

Thursday, June 11, 2020 9:17 am

It was the Tuesday after Commencement, and Jane Costlow paced around her Hedge Hall office, up to her elbows in books, boxes, papers, and assorted memorabilia.

Slideshow: This Month at Bates

Tuesday, June 9, 2020 9:44 am

We’ve experienced beginnings and ends, rituals and transitions, struggles and reflections, but…

Slideshow: This Month at Bates

Tuesday, May 12, 2020 12:30 pm

How does one define spring in Maine? Well, it can be called heartbreaking. One minute, you’re anticipating the bursting of magnolia blossoms. The next, you’re battening down the hatches for a snowstorm.

Slideshow: Bates seniors partner with Phyllis Graber Jensen

Monday, April 27, 2020 11:39 am

From homes and other quarantine places, 10 Bates seniors partner with photographer Phyllis Graber Jensen to create FaceTime portraits.

My Last Year: Teaching in Russia

Friday, April 24, 2020 2:43 pm

From Gorbachev to Putin and St. Petersburg to Orel, retiring professor Jane Costlow looks back on leading students through 10 trips to Russia.

Early sunlight on campus on March 28, 2020.John Bertram Hall faces Leahy Field.
Slideshow: This Month at Bates

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 10:26 am

This edition of This Month at Bates pivots from one world into the next.

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