Biology Opportunities

Students have been taking field courses at Itasca since 1909. The U of MN legacy program embodies experiential learning by fully immersing students in the natural world. Hands-on field learning experiences foster a deep connection to the environment and provide real-world insights that can’t be replicated in a classroom. Students don’t just learn what mammalogists (people who study mammals), mycologists (people who study fungi), ornithologists (people who study birds), entomologists (people who study insects) or animal behaviorists (that one is easy to guess) do… they do what they do on a daily basis. They live-trap and handle mammals and birds, key out fungi and plants, collect and identify invertebrates, and design experiments, all with the guidance of supportive faculty mentors and in collaboration with their peers. The station’s unique location at the convergence of three of North America’s largest biomes (coniferous, deciduous, and prairie), and at the pristine headwaters of its largest watershed, provides the perfect setting for students to explore a broad range of ecosystems, flora and fauna.

The Coe Wilderness Field Station Scholarship provides full tuition, travel expenses, and a $2500 stipend to one Carleton student to take a summer course at the field station. This opportunity is supported by a gift from a generous Carleton alum who attended the Wilderness Field Station more than 50 years ago. Her experience at the field station changed her trajectory at Carleton and led her to a career in Environmental Policy. With this gift, her hope is that Carleton students will take the opportunity to try something different, perhaps out of their comfort zone, and potentially change their self-perception and direction. The scholarship is open to any Carleton student with an interest in taking a course at the Coe Wilderness Field Station during the summer of 2026. Applicants do not need previous wilderness experience to be eligible. First year students are particularly encouraged to apply. Many students that attend the field station have no previous experience with wilderness education or wilderness travel.

Field Studies is an interdisciplinary field research program hosted by the Wrangell Mountains Center in McCarthy, Alaska, located in the center of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The program is accredited through the University of Maine and offers six (6) semester-credits for Field Research Experience in Earth and Climate Sciences. Areas of focus include local geophysical processes, glacier dynamics, ecology, natural history, climate change, land use, and public policy. Interested students should apply via our application at https://wrangellmountainsfieldstudies.org/apply. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submission is recommended. For questions, please contact fieldstudies@wrangells.org

The Coe Wilderness Field Station Scholarship provides full tuition, travel expenses, and a $2500 stipend to two Carleton students each year to take a course at the field station. This scholarship is open to any Carleton student with an interest in taking a course at the Coe Wilderness Field Station during the summer of 2025. Applicants do not need previous wilderness experience to be eligible. First year students are particularly encouraged to apply.

The MDI Biological Laboratory’s REU program aims to engage students in scientific explorations in the Laboratory’s research focus area, Comparative Regenerative Biology and Aging, while providing them with opportunities to build skills important to successful careers in the biological sciences. Research opportunities focus on uncovering basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying regenerative and aging processes in various animal model systems, including zebrafish, African turquoise killifish, nematodes and axolotls. Students will have access to state-of-the-art research laboratories and core facilities, support staff, and our inspirational coastal setting. Students will join in MDI Biological Laboratory’s active scientific community, which includes other undergraduate research fellows, visiting scientists, graduate students, and postdocs as well as research assistants.

The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the rest of the world’s oceans. Warming water in the Gulf of Maine is altering ecosystems and impacting fisheries. Global climate change affects oceanographic patterns, marine populations, and human communities. Climate Change: The Gulf of Maine is a collaborative program exploring the oceanographic science behind the rapidly warming ocean basin, how changes impact marine populations, and how local coastal communities are responding to climate change.

Oceans may contain more than one million species, however, less than one-quarter of these have been identified. Marine biodiversity has the potential to transform medicine, industry, environmental remediation, and energy production, but is threatened by pollution, habitat destruction, over-fishing, and climate change. Studying organisms beyond national boundaries is crucial to understanding and conserving our ocean ecosystems.

The Coe Wilderness Field Station Scholarship provides full tuition, travel expenses, and a $2500 stipend to two Carleton students each year to take a summer course at the field station.