An Introductory-Level Field-Based Course in Geology and Botany

Abstract

At the University of Vermont (UVM), we offer a year-long, interdisciplinary, residentially based course for first-year students interested in the natural sciences. This course, entitled “The Geology and Ecology of Lake Champlain,” takes advantage of the University's location between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. Although the University offers students introductory-level courses in both geology and ecology, these are high-enrollment lecture-format classes with some field trips. “The Geology and Ecology of Lake Champlain” offers a small group of students a field-based course that seeks to integrate these related disciplines. In the course, the students become active hands-on participants in small research projects. Although UVM's geographic location has certain unique features, we believe that the fundamental approach of this course can be adopted by universities in other locales.