PELLSTON, Mich. — “The University of Michigan Biological Station is such a special place,” said Gurleen Hayer as she prepared to move out of her cabin and back home after spending the month of July at the historic research and teaching campus. “I felt from the moment I got here that I would miss it so much.”

The Schoolcraft Community College sophomore took two courses during the 2026 summer term: Learning from the Landscape and Michigan: People and Place in a Changing Environment.

“You really feel like you’re in a different world—really immersed. Experiential learning is where it’s at,” Hayer said. “I would take classes here year-round. I would get my bachelor’s degree here. It’s amazing.”

“I’ve gotten so much time in nature, and I don’t get that most of the time. It’s just the best place ever,” said Kavya Krishnan, a junior at the University of Michigan who majors in ecology and evolutionary biology. She took General Ecology Lab and General Ecology Lecture classes.

“This is more than school. This is a life-changing experience,” said Hassan Mustapha, a U-M senior and pre-med student who also took classes at UMBS in summer 2026. “This has been the best month of my life. I have done two of the most interesting things in my life that I love doing — microbiology and fishing — every day with people who I never, just after one day became some of the closest friends I'll have for the rest of my life.”

Mustapha took Field Studies of Fishes and Microbiology.

“You go to a lecture in Ann Arbor, and you see it on the screen. Here, two seconds later, you’re outside collecting the sample, putting it under a microscope,” Mustapha said. “You’re actually doing the science, not just learning the science.”

Avery Schestag, a U-M senior studying ecology and evolutionary biology, studied how leaf litter affects soil nitrogen in forests across northern Michigan as part of an ecology class at UMBS during the spring 2026 term.

“I don’t really have field experience before this, so I really enjoyed being able to go out in the field a lot, see a bunch of different places — especially in northern Michigan — and, in my lab, do specific research too.”

Located along Douglas Lake and Burt Lake about 20 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge, UMBS is a more than 10,000-acre living laboratory where students learn and conduct research in forests, rivers and lakes. Most courses include a research component.

“I feel like I learned so much,” said Alyssa Pitsch, who majors in Program in the Environment at U-M and took General Ecology Lecture and General Ecology Lab at UMBS in 2026. “Now I catch myself identifying species and plants, and I’ve never been able to do that before. It’s crazy how much knowledge I gained in just a few short weeks.”

Claire Marie Leighton was a fifth-year student at Central Michigan University majoring in biology when she took Field Studies of Fishes and Field Mammalogy courses at UMBS in the summer 2026 term.

“I actually got to take the time and learn: Why am I doing this, and what am I going to do after this with this knowledge?” Leighton said.

For Zafir Maker-Agha, who studied business administration and environmental science at U-M, UMBS provided a memorable finish to his undergraduate experience.

“The campus is gorgeous,” Maker-Agha said. “I would wake up and go on a run, see the sunrise along the lake and maybe go fishing before breakfast.”

The graduating senior took General Ecology Lecture and General Ecology Lab during the spring 2026 term.

“The whole way that the classes were taught and the environment here was cultivated, like, made for some of the best four weeks I've had at Michigan,” Maker-Agha said.

Bailey McClive, a U-M chemical engineering junior, studied microbiology and Great Lakes policy and management during the 2026 summer term.

“In microbiology, we ended up all picking a different environment, and then we isolated bacteria and fungi,” McClive said. “I chose this oily layer on top of the swamp water, and it was cool because one of the other groups was working with the pitcher plants in the swamp and we found the same bacteria.”

Though tending “to struggle with meeting new people and going to new environments,” McClive had no issues immersing herself in the close-knit lakeside community.

“This was one of the most welcoming places I’ve been,” McClive said.

“At the Biological Station, I met so many people who are similar to me in so many different ways,” said Annie Wesorick, a U-M junior studying ecology and evolutionary biology. “I feel like I made 50 new friends while I was here.”

“You get so close with your classmates,” said Andrew Carriero, who took courses at UMBS in 2023 and returned in 2026 to serve as a teaching assistant for the microbiology class. “It’s nothing like being in lecture on campus.”

“Everyone here is so passionate about being outside, about the environment,” said Issa Reyes.

Reyes, a U-M graduate student studying ecosystem science and management and geospatial data science in the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), served as the 2026 CLEAR Fellow and took the Conservation Biology in Practice class in the spring term.

“It was really cool to meet with so many practitioners — the people who do a lot of great conservation work — and then go out in the field and see unique species like Kirtland’s warblers and dwarf lake iris,” Reyes said.

All of these UMBS alumni encourage college students — from first-year students to seniors and graduate students — to enroll in the 2027 spring and summer terms.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Carriero said. “You get to be part of this amazing community.”

“The University of Michigan Biological Station is magical and mystical,” Krishnan said.

“I was on the fence. I was even late to apply,” Leighton said. “Definitely do it. It’s really worth it.”

The spring 2027 term runs June 1 through July 1. The summer 2027 term runs July 13 through Aug. 12.

Students can explore the opportunities at an Information Session at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in Room 1040 of the Dana Building on U-M’s Ann Arbor campus.

UMBS staff and recent students will discuss courses, credits, scholarships, undergraduate research fellowships, cabin life and dining. No prior field experience is required, and students of all majors from colleges and universities worldwide are welcome.

UMBS also will host a virtual Information Session at noon on Monday, Dec. 7, on Zoom. Registration is required in advance through the Information Session Online Registration Form.

Students can sign up for notification when the 2027 course list and application become available. Visit the UMBS Student Testimonials website to hear from recent students and the UMBS Alumni Success website to explore alumni career paths.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/eQzHbm66CvQ

 

The University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.

Our vast campus engages all of the senses. Its remote, natural setting nurtures deep thought and scientific discovery.

Founded in 1909, UMBS supports long-term research and education through immersive, field-based courses and features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for data collection and analysis to help any field researcher be productive. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.

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