SCE 5040 - UNDERSTANDING OUR ENVIRONMENT A FIELD COURSE
Background Information
 This field course is offered every summer during the last three weeks of July. Each 5-day session begins on Sunday afternoon and ends the following Friday at noon. The course is the result of collaborative efforts between Wayne State, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan universities. Students from any of the participating universities may register for any of the sessions through their university.
Facilities                         
The course takes place in the beautiful campus of MacMullan Conference Center located on the shores of Higgins Lake. The campus includes fully equipped classrooms, dinning halls, modern cabins and much more. 

         

                                                          Most meals take place by the lake

MacMullan Conference Center and Higgins Lake are located near Roscommon, a 3-hour drive on I 75 North; Exit 244 .

 

 
Course Activities
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The course involves a combination of classroom activities and field trips to local forest and water ecosystems (e.g., wetlands, Jack Pine ecology and the Kirtland’s Warbler). One of the field trips involves a canoe trip down AuSable River.

 

                      Wetlands                                       Jack Pine Ecology and the Kirtland's Warbler         

                                Project Wild                                                  Ground water contamination           

 

                      Field trip to Hartwick Pines                                       Water Investigations                  

                                     Bats                                                                  Down AuSable River

When not working on assignments, evenings are spent around the fire by the lake, roasting marshmallows and listening to nature songs.

Songs about wolves and marshmallows around the fire

 
Registration
WSU students register for the specific session and number of credit hours needed, as they do for any other course. Students must also register for room and board by calling MacMullan Conference Center at: (989/821-6200). Room and board for summer 2005 is $335. Students must provide a $100 deposit when registering for room and board. Students must register for room and board before applying for a scholarship. Please note the scholarship is sent directly to MacMullan Conference Center.

 
Scholarships for Room and Board
Two organizations, The Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan and Woman’s National Farm and Garden Association, support our program through scholarships to cover a portion (about two thirds) of students' room and board expenses. To apply for a scholarship for room and board students must write a letter to one of these organizations requesting a scholarship. In the letter students should indicate the amount of scholarship they are requesting and explain their interest in environmental education and how attending this course will better prepare them to teach environmental science. Send letter requesting the scholarship to:

1. The Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan, att. Ms. Bonnie Haller, 2429 Bay Ridge Drive, Au Gres, MI 48703                      OR 

2. Woman’s National Farm and Garden Association, att. Ms. Linda Meadors, 8030 Sugarloaf Trail, Clarkston, MI 48348.

 

Course Sessions (Note that each year the date of the sessions may change.

Session A: (July 10-15, 2005). Central Michigan University. Instructor: Dr. Claudia Douglass.

Session B: (July 17-22). Western Michigan University. Instructor: Dr. Mark Jenness.

Session C: (July 24-29). Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University. Instructors:                                        Dr. Maria Ferreira (WSU) and Dr. Peggy Liggit (EMU)
 

Contact Information

Students should contact the instructor listed for the course at their university, regardless of the session they plan to take.

Wayne State University students contact: Dr. Maria Ferreira; College of Education, Room 281; Email: m.ferreira@wayne.edu Phone: (313) 577-6370.

Eastern Michigan University students contact: Dr. Peggy Liggit at       Peggy.Liggit@emich.edu           Tel. (734) 487-0118

Central Michigan University students contact: Dr. Claudia Douglass at                   dougl1cb@cmich.edu  

Western Michigan University students contact: Dr. Mark Jenness at                              mark.jenness@wmich.edu

Course Materials (WSU students only attending the last session )

WSU students attending the last session taught by Dr. Ferreira are responsible for accessing  all the course documents and assignments through the Blackboard site for the course at: http://blackboard.wayne.edu/