What is the Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail
BioDiT Citrus is a STEAM educational experience -- science, technology, engineering, ART, and mathematics! Blending photography, videography, and music with biology, this walking tour of the College of Central Florida's Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus shares with visitors the biodiversity of Citrus County, basic principles in ecology, and the relationship of both with our local economy. Physical exhibits are linked to companion digital exhibits by QR codes, giving visitors the opportunity to learn in lots of different and fun ways.
What kinds of physical exhibits are there?
BioDiT Citrus is composed of three types of physical exhibits.
- Bulletin boards containing posters, artwork, photographs, and 3-D displays.
- Pedestal displays containing photographs and 3-D artistic displays.
- Signs around the campus grounds with QR codes.
Every exhibit can be recognized by the sandhill crane, BioDiT Citrus logo.
What kind of digital exhibits are there?
Each digital exhibit is designed to complement its companion physical exhibit. Materials in the digital exhibits include...
- Instructional videos and animations.
- Video montages of biodiversity set to the music of Darlingside.
- Additional photographs and artwork and biodiversity.
- Audio files illustrating biodiversity.
Each digital exhibit also includes a map of your physical location and directions to the next physical exhibit.
Where do the displays come from?
All of the photographs, artwork, and other materials on display are donated to the project by CF Citrus Campus students, faculty, staff, and members of the Citrus County community. Many of the posters were designed by students in BSC 2011L (Integrated Principles of Biology II Lab). The Trail and its content were initially created by Steve C. Schenk (Professor of Biological Science, 2012 - 2025), and are currently managed and edited by Librarian Rachel Baril.
How do you identify the various species of plants, animals, and fungi?
We start with some familiar organism ID apps, including Seek, Merlin, and PictureThis. Identifications through these apps are supported through additional research as necessary, which includes exploring identification guides and keys (both print and on-line) and scientifically trustworty sites like BugGuide.net. We occasionally use Google Lens, but this has proven to be an extremely unreliable tool, and we do not recommend it for routine photo identifications. Most importantly -- we do not put total faith in any one app. We often use multiple apps when possible, and cross check results with other photographs and information available on-line about the ranges of the various organisms to ensure the identifications match organisms that are actually known to be native or introduced to Florida.
Can I contribute to the project?
Heck yeah! Photographs, videos, artwork, audio recordings, or similar materials that you'd like to submit can be directly submitted using this submission form. This only works for files that are 20MB or smaller in size. There is also an opportunity to create infographic and poster designs for future exhibits. If you have larger files to submit, are interested in doing an exhibit design, or have other questions, please contact us at biodit@cf.edu.
Steve C. Schenk, Professor of Biological Sciences (2012 - 2025)
Steve Schenk (aka Prof. S) is the creator, editor, and general manager of the Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail. He was awarded the Dorothea G. Jerome Endowed Chair (Any Discipline) for 2024 - 2026 by the CF Foundation, which provided the funding for the construction and implementation of the Trail.
Prof. S has degrees in biology from Duke University (B.Sc.) and The Florida State University (M.Sc.). His professional career in research and education began in 1990, and he's been teaching college-level biology courses since 1996.
As a high school student, he spent two years doing molecular genetics research with Dr. Richard Laddaga, then at Bowling Green State University. As an undergraduate, he spent two summers working in an organic chemistry lab at an oil refinery, helped to develop a specimen database for a limnology laboratory, and in the lab of Dr. Dan Rittschof at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, tested antifouling paints for 3M and helped design and build equipment that was used in an experiment conducted with the Alvin deep sea submersible. (Sadly, he did not get to participate in the Alvin part of that experiment...)
His graduate research on the ecology and evolution of crab claws was conducted in the lab of Dr. Peter Wainwright, then at FSU. While a graduate student, he taught a variety of classes, including comparative vertebrate anatomy, invertebrate zoology, field marine ecology, and animal diversity, and worked extensively with FSU's Saturday-at-the-Sea Program.
From 2001 until 2006 he was a member of the faculty at Darton College in Albany, GA, and from 2006 - 2012 he was a member of the faculty at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, NV. He was a faculty member at the CF Citrus Campus from 2012 to 2025 where he taught lab and lecture courses in human anatomy and physiology and integrated principles of biology.
With a background that also includes training in the visual arts and expository writing, STEAM education is definitely where Prof. S's heart is. As he is also an amateur nature photographer, amateur musician, and amateur videographer, the Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail is a natural extension of his three decades in and around higher education. He left CF in December 2025 to start a non-profit science education production company (Reverie Productions) and work full-tie on developing materials like the Biodiversity Trail for students of all grade levels in all parts of the country.
Rachel Baril, Library Staff (2006 – current)
Rachel Baril is the editor and general manager of the Citrus Campus Biodiversity Trail as of January 2026.
Her interest in nature is credited first and foremost to her mother, who ensured Rachel had educational materials from a young age. From these Rachel amassed knowledge of animals’ habits, environments, trivia, etc.
Rachel has a long history with CF, as both student and staff. While earning her A.A degree at CF, Rachel was part of the campus literary magazine staff in various roles, including co-editor, where her interest in nature photography and design first began. She was mentored by Susan Monier in three Creative Writing courses, leading to interests in copy-editing, proofreading, writing, and a goal to be a published author. This interest has served her well in academics and careers. Her professional career began in 2005 at the CF Citrus Campus Bookstore, in addition to joining the library team as an Instructional Aide in 2006. Under the mentorship of Edith Ramlow and Pat Booth at the CF Citrus Campus Library, Rachel earned a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Leo University (2012 – 2015) while working at the library. She is currently enrolled for a Masters in Library Science at University of South Florida.
Rachel was hired as a full-time CF Senior Library Technician in 2018. She has since created over a dozen libguides, including one for the David E. Walker Environmental Collection (https://library.cf.edu/collection/walker/).
In Spring 2025, Rachel was approached with the offer to become the new editor and general manager of the BioDiT Trail. Due to her background in photography, libguides, and interest in nature around the campus, Rachel accepted the role. She realizes that she has big shoes to fill, as Steve Schenk has been an incredible creator, editor, and manager of the Trail in his time at CF.