A 64,000 square mile classroom
Week-long field studies offer students opportunities to engage fully with an ecosystem, community, or internship. During the course of the semester, students may participate in a Kayaking Expedition on the Captain John Smith Trail, spend time researching Restoration Ecology & Climate Science with CBF on Tangier Island, explore the intersection of The Environment, Government, and Public Policy Washington, DC & Annapolis, MD, and investigate Land Use and Energy in the Headwaters in Harrisburg and Lancaster, PA.
Islands Visited
Mountains Hiked
Cities Visited
Rivers Swum In
From the scripted experience to the moments in between, hear about the impact of Expeditions on student leadership and personal development.
Orientation Expedition
Each semester kicks off with the Orientation Expedition to bring the group together and establish a connection to the watershed. Each semester’s trip is unique; prior semesters have kayaked on the lower Eastern Shore, hiked and camped in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia, or stood on Council Rock in the headwaters of the Susquehanna River in Cooperstown, New York.
Throw experiential learning, classes in the field, sharing meals and relaxing around the campfire, each cohort of students and faculty “gel” in this first adventure together. To build connection and inclusion, we intentionally disconnect from phones during this trip.
Science Expedition
In partnership with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the College of William and Mary, the science expedition bases from the Eastern Shore lab in Wachapreague, VA. Each day is a blend of field sampling and data collection, with time in their state-of-the-art wet laboratories to investigate and analyze our findings. A trip to the mudflats always means a meal of fresh clams back at the dorm one evening.
Weaving history and culture into the expedition, students visit the Barrier Island Center and have several literature classes in the field during this trip.
Land-use and Energy Expedition
We travel to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or western Maryland to reach the coal mining and fracking portions of the watershed. Blending literature and public policy, students explore these landscapes, meet with energy professionals, farmers, community members, and conservationists to understand the competing challenges of urban sprawl, mining, and shifting agricultural practices in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Public Policy and Urban Planning
DC, Annapolis, and Baltimore are within easy day trips from our campus on the Eastern Shore. Depending on how jam-packed the days are on this trip, students may stay overnight in DC or Alexandria. From meeting with senators or congressional representatives to creating a historic walking tour of DC’s urban design by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, we criss-cross the Capital.
Issues of environmental justice and access to the Potomac are explored and the day may even wrap up on the river.
Climate Science and Resiliency
Wrapping up each Semester with a focus on understanding climate science and the impacts of climate change in our region, we travel to some of the islands in the heart of the Bay that sit just a few feet above sea level to meet with residents. From these rural communities, students then travel to urban areas, often Norfolk and Hampton Roads, to explore how issues of environmental racism have pushed vulnerable communities into flood-prone areas and how the Navy plans to mitigate the impact of “sunny day flooding” on operational readiness.