ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

Building on decades of environmental education at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, the College will launch a new major in Environmental Studies (ENV), bringing together perspectives from across the curriculum and responding to strong student interest in the existing Environmental Studies concentration. At the same time, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ will introduce Semester@CERA, an immersive program centered at the College’s 365-acre Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA).

During her summer Mentored Advanced Project (MAP), biology major Millie Leonard ’27 sampled and compared microbial life and antibiotic resistance in soils neighboring streams at two local sites.

Maria Pinto was recently a guest of the English department’s Writers@ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ program and ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s first environmental writer-in-residence at CERA. She was also the first visitor to stay in the newly renovated CERA residence.

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ in the summer is a vibrant mix of quiet beauty and meaningful engagement.

Three ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ students explored different aspects of air quality through Mentored Advanced Projects (MAPs) with Associate Professor of Chemistry Evan Couzo in summer 2025.

Four ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ students worked at CERA during summer 2025, getting hands-on experience ranging from identifying native prairie plants and collecting their seeds to driving on gravel roads.

Associate Professor of Chemistry Evan Couzo and three ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ students erected a 30-foot-tall atmospheric measurement station at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€™s Conard Environmental Research Area.

The grant will bolster infrastructure improvements at the Conard Environmental Research Area (CERA) and further the College’s commitment to environmental stewardship and educational excellence.

Yoo is teaching a three-part series about native plants this spring. In March, the students learned to germinate seeds. In April, they transplanted their seeds into cone-tainers, and next, they will plant their seeds into the middle school prairie.

A thriving environmental field station on land that both teaches and inspires.