Tuesday, 8 November 2005 - 1:45 PM
129-4

Incorporating Art and Science into a Soil Science Field Course.

Ken C.J. Van Rees, University of Saskatchewan, Department of Soil Science, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada

The majority of the faculty in our Soil Science Department have large field programs investigating various agricultural, forestry or environmental questions. Although faculty spend a great deal of time in the field, our undergraduate program did not reflect this tendency. In addition, through systematic program review and discussions with employers, the Department recognized that our program needed more field oriented courses to develop field skills and provide students with opportunities to integrate classroom knowledge with field experience. Thus we began to develop field courses that would provide these opportunities for our students. A new course entitled ‘Soils and Boreal Landscapes' was developed where students investigated various soil catenas and vegetation communities on different landscapes to develop various field skills and learn how soils and vegetation develop on landscapes. However, besides being just a field course, students were asked to include another aspect of how one interprets landscapes and that involved using ‘art'. In the early 1900's, geologists were trained not only in the science but also how to interpret landscapes through paintings. The field course is held three hours north of campus in the boreal forest at the University owned Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake which was initially established as an art school. This presentation will discuss how the field course integrates science and art, the advantages and disadvantages of using this approach and the benefits that students gain from this form of instruction.

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