STEM – Summer Liberal Arts Institute

STEM in the Field

Geology, Ecology, & Ornithology

July 12 – August 1, 2025

The area around Carleton College is an excellent natural laboratory for learning fundamental concepts in the natural sciences. The upper Midwest is home to outstanding geology, contains superb records of past and present climate change, and is one of the premier migration corridors for bird migration. In this STEM program, students will develop exploration, problem solving, and scientific communication skills as they take part in courses in Geology, Paleoecology, & Ornithology. Each course will include hands-on, field-oriented investigation in which students will work in small teams to examine novel questions under the direction of college faculty and mentored by undergraduate research assistants. The program will culminate in a symposium where students share their work with each other and the broader community.

Please note: this program involves spending a great deal of time outside (heat and sun exposure) and requires light to moderate hiking.

Three students in safety vests and hard hats smile at the camera while giving peace signs at a roadside geology outcrop.

Summer Carls can earn up to six Carleton course credits (typically transfers as three semester credits) for successfully meeting faculty expectations and completing course requirements. In addition to receiving written feedback about course performance from faculty, students will receive one of the following three possible grade designations: satisfactory (S), credit (Cr), or no credit (NC). Formal academic transcripts are available upon request for Summer Carl alumni and will reflect the name of the course and grade earned.

Courses and Faculty

Students in this program will experience one week of learning in each of the following course topics.

An Introduction to the Geosciences

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to some of the key concepts and contributions geoscientists make to science and society. This course will consist of a mix of lecture, hands-on activities, and field trips to study the local geology. Topics include deep time and modern dating techniques, global climate change, and complex systems.

Faculty

Cameron Davidson

Program Director

Cameron Davidson is a field geologist who uses modern analytical tools to answer outstanding tectonic questions in the geosciences. His current research is focused on the accretion and translation history of southern Alaska using U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry of zircon found in igneous and sedimentary rocks. At Carleton, he teaches Introduction to Field Geology, Mineralogy, Petrology, and the New Zealand Off Campus Studies program in Geology. He is also Co-Director of the Keck Geology Consortium.

Professor Cam Davidson crouching over a big piece of granite.

Climate, Fire and the Big Woods of Minnesota

In this course we will explore the ecology and history of the Big Woods through a mix of lecture, discussion, laboratory work and field trips to local woods and prairies. Students will gain direct experience with field botany, basic paleoecological techniques including pollen and charcoal analysis, and the use and display of archived data.

Faculty

Charles Umbanhowar

Charles Umbanhowar is a botanist and paleoecologist who uses fossils extracted from sediments to better understand ecological processes that extend over 100s and 1000s of years. His current research is focused on the interplay of climate, fire, and grazing on northern Great Plains over the past 10,000 years. He teaches a range of courses at St. Olaf, including Remote Sensing and GIS, Plant Evolution and Systematics, Foundations of Biodiversity, and Biogeochemistry. He is the Director of Natural Lands at St. Olaf College.

Ornithology and Our Environment

In this course, we’ll delve into bird ecology, behavior, evolution, and identification, with a focus on Minnesota’s native birds and their environment. We will combine lectures covering core concepts of avian biology with hands-on field activities that introduce field research techniques and observational skills. We will also explore how to use the arts to help understand and relate to the habitats we’ll investigate. This course is designed to provide an understanding of avian biology as well as foster a personal appreciation for Minnesota’s bird diversity.

Faculty

Lynn Schofield

Lynn Schofield is an ecologist and conservation biologist who uses birds as a focal species for understanding greater environmental issues. She currently works for The Institute for Bird Populations and also teaches Evolutionary Biology and Ornithology at St. Olaf College. Her current research projects are varied and include studying the impacts of climate change on bird species, forest fire ecology, food web dynamics, bird migration, wetland restoration strategies, and bioacoustics.

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STEM in the Field

Geology, Ecology, & Ornithology

July 12 – August 1, 2025

Academic Credit

Courses and Faculty

An Introduction to the Geosciences

Faculty

Cameron Davidson

Climate, Fire and the Big Woods of Minnesota

Faculty

Charles Umbanhowar

Ornithology and Our Environment

Faculty

Lynn Schofield

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Become a Summer Carl