Baker, Calif. — Chelsy Bognot, 18, foreground, and fellow Cal State Fullerton biology students ride into the Mojave desert in the back of a flatbed truck.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43383

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Baker, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton biology students walk in the Mojave Desert during a two-day trip to study desert geology and ecosystems.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43384

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Baker, Calif. — Associate biology professor Danielle Zacherl holds a baby lizard while taking her students on a trip to the Desert Studies Center, which is run by the California State University system.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43385

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Baker, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton biology student Mudassar Haq, 20, tries to protect himself with a towel under the broiling sun of the Mojave. On a recent weekend, the temperature reached 112 degrees.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43386

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Baker, Calif. — Arturo Garcia-Guzman, 18, takes notes on desert geology, plant and animal life. “Being in the desert is a physical and cultural challenge,” says Cal State Fullerton associate professor Danielle Zacherl.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43387

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Baker, Calif. — Student Amelia Sousa, 18, walks on the balcony of a former spa resort named Zzyzx that now houses visiting students at the Desert Studies Center near Baker.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43388

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Baker, Calif. — While Cal State Fullerton biology students were exploring in the Mojave desert, they ran across a sidewinder. “This is an unusual treat,” Fullerton associate biology professor William Hoese told the group. “We’re going to give it room.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43389

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Baker, Calif. — Carissa Pangan, 18, studies an insect under a flashlight's glow during a trip to the Desert Studies Center with her Cal State Fullerton classmates.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43390

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Baker, Calif. — Karen Andrade, 17, right, analyzes an insect as her classmates do the same.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43391

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Baker, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton teacher's aid Kim Walker, right, briefs biology students at the Desert Studies Center before they venture out on a night hike to look for scorpions.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43392

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Baker, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton biology students try to catch insects, drawn to a mercury light, as part of a two-day field trip to the Desert Studies Center to study plant life, wildlife and geology in the Mojave Desert.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43393

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Baker, Calif. — A dragonfly is caught for observation at the 1,200-acre field station near Soda Springs in the Mojave National Preserve.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43394

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Baker, Calif. — After dark, the students set out over the flat, sandy plain with ultraviolet lights to search for scorpions. About a half mile out, they could be found lurking in the underbrush, an ethereal, prehistoric presence.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43395

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Baker, Calif. — Brian Mguyen, 18, left, takes field notes on the natural habitat of a scorpion. Each year, about 2,300 people visit the Desert Studies Center, which is run by a consortium of seven campuses and managed mainly by Cal State Fullerton.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43396

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Baker, Calif. — Biology students shine UV lights on a scorpion, whose exoskeleton contains a chemical that makes it fluorescent under the black light.

PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

http://framework.latimes.com/?attachment_id=43397

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