DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ASSESSMENT OF AN UNDERGRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY WATERSHED RESEARCH LABORATORY

In 1999 Shippensburg University established the Burd Run Interdisciplinary Watershed Research Laboratory. The Laboratory uses a local watershed to provide intensive undergraduate field training in the collection and analysis of environmental data, which are then compiled into a comprehensive statistical and spatial watershed database. Geographic information systems serve as the project's organizational focus, providing a powerful tool for data display, analysis and sharing. These data support a broad range of course projects, independent student research, and environmental monitoring. Common use of the watershed case study has fostered a broader understanding of environmental systems by integrating the unique disciplinary perspectives of geographers, biologists, and environmental educators. This approach allows students to develop multiple perspectives of complex environmental relationships that are often difficult to develop in a single course or semester. The Burd Run Interdisciplinary Watershed Research Laboratory provides an easily adaptable conceptual model for improving environmental science education at teaching-oriented institutions nationwide. Its success is largely attributable to three factors: (1) the project is student-centered and goal specific; (2) the selected watershed is accessible, diverse, and at a manageable scale; and (3) the use of a 17-member Laboratory Advisory Board provides for continuous revision, adaptation, and improvement.