Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.91
Liaison Tom Hartzell
Submission Date Dec. 21, 2022

STARS v2.2

Calvin University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Tom Hartzell
Campus Sustainability Program Coordinator
Ecosystem Preserve
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:
First-Year Research in Earth Sciences (FYRES): This 5-credit science course gives FYRES students the opportunity to learn about science by DOING science in the form of an immersion research experience focused on Michigan’s coastal dunes. The course is only open to students in their first semester at Calvin University, but both science and non-science students are welcome to participate. Throughout the semester, sustainability concepts are explored through case study examples and problems related to Michigan dune systems.

The program works to help restore the dunes to their natural, sustainable state by planting new grasses and building sand fences. This helps stop erosion and the gradual moving of the dunes toward roads and houses.

See FYRES research by year here (Evaluation of Stability and Restoration
of a Michigan Coastal Dune): https://calvin.edu/academics/departments-programs/fyres/research/

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s immersive education programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Completed by Eleanor Ludwig

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