In Earth Science, the Outdoor Classroom Isn't Optional

Talk to any Earth scientist and they’ll tell you field research is essential; it’s “the real world laboratory, if you want to understand the textbook, what the professors are saying,” notes alumni Lawrence H. (Larry) Davis (M.S. 1979), who recently completed his term as chair of the EES Alumni Advisory Board (AAB).

Nathan Niemi, professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) and director of the University of Michigan’s Camp Davis Rocky Mountain Field Station, underscores how necessary it is for students to integrate firsthand knowledge of the Earth’s geology and atmosphere with their class work. “We teach students about the Earth in a very topically-oriented way on campus, we divide it up in silos and bins of knowledge. But you have to think in four dimensions—changes to the Earth are happening in space, over time,” he explains. “And that can be a hard thing for students to conceive of until they can see the spatial scale in the field. You can drive for hours in the same volcanic eruption in Yellowstone—and then they start to get the idea that, ‘this is extraordinary, this would’ve changed the planet when it erupted.’”

Field work develops crucial professional skills in ways the classroom can’t match, explains Niemi. “Geology is like looking at a car wreck and trying to figure out what happened. Learning to draw inferences from limited data, marshall a scientific argument, and defend the conclusion is a huge intellectual leap that mirrors what they’ll do in their careers.”

But the pandemic made it hard for researchers and students alike to get out into the field for several years. That’s why Trinity Pryor (B.S. ’22), who earned her degree a semester early in December, packed two field-based experiences, plus several weeks as an Earth Camp instructor, into her last undergraduate summer.

“It was my first time in the field since I’d started at the University of Michigan,” said Pryor of the field trip she and twenty other students took with Professor Niemi to Death Valley, Zion, and the Grand Canyon in May.

As part of the seminar course that preceded the field trip, each student researched one of the geologic sites the group would visit and prepared a talk to present on-site. Pryor and her partner chose the Cambrian Explosion. “It was amazing to be able to hike to and stand on top of these super famous points and formations, to see deep mountain canyons carved by rivers, and think about how they came to be,” she said.

“This summer was really the first time I could get to know other EES students outside of class. I didn’t really know anyone in the department well,” noted Pryor, whose three years as an active member of the Black Student Union’s executive board, filling roles including mass communication chair, editor of the student life magazine, and peace officer, kept her busy and connected to the broader campus community. “One thing that was cool about knowing I was going to Camp Davis was when I met one of the few other black students I’d seen around the department in a mini course last fall, and she and I decided to go to the same Camp Davis session and room together. There are only a few other Black students in the department, and fewer Black women.”

Pryor echoes generations of EES students that have preceded her when she describes her transformative summer in the field. But many students have also faced financial barriers that were significant enough to prevent them from undertaking such trips. Though exponentially rewarding, field education can be expensive, time-consuming, and logistically complicated. To ensure that all undergraduate and graduate students have the chance to gain technical expertise that fits their goals, the department sponsors a variety of field experiences as well as maintaining an on-site Camp Davis course as a graduation requirement. One large U.S. trip, like the one Pryor took, is usually offered each year; an additional international field trip takes place every few years. Such a commitment comes with one very real challenge: to ensure opportunities are accessible to all students regardless of their financial situation. The department relies on donor support of the Earth & Environmental Science Strategic Fund to subsidize trips so that the cost to students for field work, even large trips, can remain low.

That’s one of the things that motivated Larry and Ronna Davis (A.B. 1973, A.M. School of Ed.’80), when considering how they might give back to the university. “It’s really a must to experience field work to be an Earth scientist, but students are doubly challenged,” noted Davis, senior advisor and chief scientist for MAP Energy, LLC., a Palo Alto-based energy development company. “If you’re out there for a summer you can’t take other jobs to make and save money; and if you don’t go it puts you at a disadvantage to other students.”

Davis’ longtime friends and graduate student classmates, Dr. Steven G. Henry (M.S. 1978, Ph.D. ’81) and Dr. Krystyna Swirydczuk (M.S. 1977, Ph.D. ’80), have each also served as chair of the AAB. For them, Camp Davis was one of the most enduring and fundamental parts of the U-M experience. The couple is deeply committed to ensuring that Camp Davis can continue to serve students and researchers for decades to come.

“Camp Davis was a pivotal experience. Getting way out of your normal lifestyle, traveling long distances to sites where you could think about the scale of the formations, see how the faults come together. The camaraderie, the collaboration, and access students have to faculty and researchers. Krys and I have great memories of Camp Davis,” mused Henry. “She was a TA for several summers. I learned how to map there, and went on to make maps for the rest of my career. I still have the first map I ever made at Camp Davis.”

The Davis and Henry families have also supported Earth Camp, the Earth science pipeline program for Ypsilanti and Detroit area high school students. According to a 2016 National Science Foundation (NSF) study, geosciences are among the least diverse fields of science; in the top 100 national university departments, less than 4% of tenured or tenure track faculty identify as people of color. Earth Camp was established at U-M in 2015 to educate and excite a more diverse population of high school students, “about Earth and environmental sciences through a variety of hands-on experiences, outdoor activities, and through exposure to career opportunities in the Earth and environmental sciences.”

Earth Camp coordinator and EES outreach specialist Jenna Munson says the program's returns are impressive: 100% of Earth Camp participants have gone on to attend college, with around 95% majoring in STEM fields. Earth Camp now recruits from the university’s Wolverine Pathways program, where high school students benefit from an even wider range of wraparound support.