University of Idaho
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Semester in The Wild is an immersive, interdisciplinary program that takes place at the University of Idaho’s Taylor Wilderness Research Station, located deep in the heart of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Accessible only by hiking or flying, Taylor Wilderness Research Station is the most remote teaching and learning facility in the Lower 48. Semester In The Wild is a premium opportunity for students from any university to spend 11 weeks learning ecology, environmental writing, wilderness management, outdoor leadership, and environmental history within pristine Idaho wilderness. Students earn 17 credits during this immersive and applied experience. Learning happens while standing in a creek taking samples or writing about passions for the natural world from a mountain ridge. Semester In The Wild weaves educational outcomes into both the academics and lifestyle at Taylor Wilderness Research Station. By making the wilderness your classroom, students develop a richer and more nuanced understanding of ecological principles, environmental writing and history, and the ecological and sociological aspects of wilderness and protected area management. Students also have practical experience in communicating ideas about wilderness and science to general audiences. Major components of this program include: • Ecology & Management—Students learn how ecology works in an environment far removed from human impact, why we have our current management programs and how they evolved. • Environment and History— Students learn how to effectively write about science and the environment, using personal experience and the history of American attitudes toward our natural resources. • Outdoor Leadership—Students build outdoor leadership skills in an applied setting, using the wilderness as a classroom and drawing lessons from personal experience.