Getting stuck in the mud or watching the water rise toward the edge of a pair of waders certainly doesn’t resemble a traditional university lesson. However, for students in the University of Calgary’s Environmental Science field schools, these adventurous moments in nature are an essential part of learning.
Typically offered during the spring and summer semesters, field schools allow Environmental Science students to conduct research along the Bow and Elbow rivers and travel to Kananaskis, where they spend time at the Barrier Lake Field Station.
“Our field schools are opportunities for students to go out and practice their techniques in these different areas,” said Dr. Eve Robinson in an interview with the Gauntlet. Dr. Robinson has taught Environmental Science and led her ENSC 401 at U of C for four years.
According to Robinson, the university’s proximity to rivers, mountains, and varied ecosystems allows students to connect their theoretical knowledge to real-world conditions. It also introduces an element that is difficult to recreate in a laboratory: uncertainty.
“The difference between this type of approach and, say, a lab is that there are a lot more unknowns,” explained Robinson, “Students are really having to learn how to adjust, how to make these decisions and recognize that things don’t go according to plan.”
A sudden change in weather might disrupt an activity or changes in a river could make a planned sampling location inaccessible. This means students must figure out how to adapt while continuing to form research questions, collect data, and make astute observations.
This environment also opens the door for students to develop confidence and take on unfamiliar responsibilities. Robinson has watched students who were otherwise timid and shy become leaders while measuring vegetation or studying stream invertebrates along the Kananaskis River.
“You can see these students who might not take a leadership role really sort of come to be leaders out in the field," said Robinson.
These courses reframe what excelling means to students. Rather than having their performance determined by one high stakes exam, students are able to make mistakes and try different roles while working toward a research goal.
Field schools can also connect students with environmental work taking place beyond the university. Through a collaboration involving U of C, the City of Calgary and RiverWatch, a nonprofit that provides environmental education and water-monitoring programs, students can take part in a rafting trip to study bank swallow habitats.
Using a sampling method developed with City of Calgary ecologists, students in Robinson's course travel along the river to count bank swallow nests and record measurements about the surrounding habitat. The project provides students with invaluable practical experience whilst contributing observations connected to Calgary’s environment.
“It’s a great link between not only the university, but also the city, and then some of our nonprofit organizations that are out there everyday making observations,” Robinson said.
Now, spending an extended amount of time outside may initially feel intimidating for students, Robinson said that they are often surprised by how enjoyable the experience becomes. Working beside a stream and solving problems as a team can bring a cohort together quickly.
“What surprises folks is how much fun it is,” Robinson adds.
When asked about upcoming field schools, Dr. Robinson mentioned the new school connected to ERTH 290, a course that can prepare students for later environment science field courses. For those thinking of applying for their first field school, she recommends entering with an open mind.
Through this hands-on research, field schools offer students the chance to think like scientists in the real world: where the conditions are rarely predictable and learning does not always go according to plan.
Students interested in learning more can visit the Faculty of Science’s EARTH Current Students Undergraduate Field Schools webpage for information about available courses.
