'U' Biostation offers unique experience

By Ted Borden

For the Daily

One of the largest of its kind, the University's Biological Station, located on the northern tip of the lower peninsula, offers students the chance to conduct field studies and observe organisms living in their natural environments.

Biostation Director James Teeri said the Biostation is primarily used during the spring and summer semesters, when only 100 students travel 250 miles north of Ann Arbor to take classes in field biology and ecology. With class sizes of roughly 12 students, Teeri said students interact closely with professors. "It's small and intensive ... a very rich way of learning," Teeri said.

According to the course's Website, the Biostation offers only one class during the spring semester and more than a dozen during the summer. These courses range from the biology of insects to the ecology of streams and rivers.

Teeri said students generally have an hour lecture in the morning, followed by a trip outdoors for field studies. In the mid-afternoon, classes return to study the samples collected in the morning, and make analyses.

Most of the Biostation students are juniors and seniors majoring in a natural-science related field. About 65 percent are female, a statistic that has remained constant for many years.

Teeri said because the students at the Biostation do not reflect the University's diversity, efforts have been made in the past several years to recruit more minority students.

La Donna Hendicks, a recent University graduate who attended classes at the Biostation last summer, said it was a valuable experience. "It was a very hands-on learning experience. It was a great way to take classes, much better than sitting through a long lecture," she said.

Like Hendicks, most students opt to attend classes at the Biostation during the summer semester.

To be accepted into the Biostation program, students must complete an application. There is no deadline for applications, but Teeri said interested students should have their paperwork in by March, as the Biostation accepts on a first-come, first-serve basis. The only prerequisite is having completed two courses of college biology.

"A big part of biology is getting involved and doing these types of studies," LSA senior Amy Boetcher said. "The program also makes you appreciate what you've already learned. It makes you realize the importance of the points discussed in that science lecture."

Established in 1909 by faculty in the University's botany, zoology and engineering departments, the station is currently in its 93rd session. The Biostation is one the largest in the world, offering comprehensive libraries and computing centers. "With so many resources available, it is one of the best," Teeri said.

The Biostation is not only a classroom for students, but it is part of the National Ultraviolet Monitoring System which measures the ozone layer over Michigan. The station also features one of the country's few underground laboratories as well as an elevated carbon dioxide facility, which is currently being used to determine living organisms' reactions to the projected carbon dioxide levels for the year 2050.

Teeri said he has heard nothing but positive comments from students who took classes at the Biostation. "Most say it is very rewarding, one of the greatest highlights of their academic life."

Students interested in taking classes at the Biostation should contact the office, located at 729 Dennison Building, at 763-4461.