Understanding the natural world
Hitting the river
Undergraduates immerse themselves in the ecology and geology of the Connecticut River Valley in an intensive, hands-on summer course. Join the trip »
This department has a reputation for not only knowing what’s going on in the natural world, but also for knowing why … and when nobody knows why, we want to find out. The result is a small, professionally active faculty and a dynamic nucleus of students in a vibrant learning community. We offer two degrees. The first, a BS in Geology, focuses on that discipline with strong support from other sciences and mathematics. The second, the more interdisciplinary BS in Environmental Science, has support from physical and life sciences and from engineering.
Being field-based science curricula, both programs have abundant experiential learning opportunities. These occur both within the curriculum as part of labs and field trips, and as extracurricular programs like annual spring trips to the American Southwest, field camps, and National Science Foundation (NSF) summer opportunities. We want all our students to nurture their curiosity about how the world works, not just in their required original senior research project, but in all their courses. We also have a strong commitment to student research, with opportunities available both inside and outside the US during summer months. Many of our students have worked with faculty on research projects in Greece, Portugal and Italy, as well as within the US at various locations.
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video by Prof. David Westerman2005 Utah spring break field trip
Recent internships by our students include funding from the Vermont Environmental Internship Program, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Center for High Pressure Research. We also have a partnership with the Vermont Geological Survey through which internships are available, and are developing a partnership with the Vermont Agency of Environmental Conservation’s newly created Green Center. Study abroad programs have supported our students for a semester in Italy, in London, and even aboard ship through Woods Hole’s Sea Semester.
The professors at Norwich are really passionate about their work, and my frequent outdoor lab experiences with them provided me with the confidence I needed to succeed in the real world and also doing my Master’s thesis research.
We encourage our students to seek teacher licensure, and have designed the degree programs to make this career path attractive. We also encourage graduates to continue their education, often after a military career, by finding the right graduate school to meet their need. We prepare them by building their ability to see what’s really there and to describe it, and their analytical skills to help them understand the natural processes.
