The AEL maintained our great tradition of annually cleaning out our shared spaces on July 9, 2026. This hallowed event has been improving our working environment and overall efficiency since at least the 1990s.

Left to fester and grow, dirt and disorganization spread to unyielding proportions throughout the AEL during the course of a single year of enthusiastic field and laboratory work.  The so called “tragedy of the commons” results from use and misuse of the lab and its materials by busy students, techs and work-study students, too busy to clean up after themselves.  Therefore, Work Day was created to reorganize, repair, and sweep clean the past years wear and tear on the AEL.  A successful Work Day will provide a clean and efficient work environment for the year to come.

We had bagels, frozen treats and sports drinks from Jim, and ended the day with pizza from Stu. All of the students and staff were very helpful and willing to clean. The labs look cleaner than they have in years!