Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, located on the west side of West Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa, offers students a hands-on alternative to the summer classes offered at Iowa State.

“It’s a really great opportunity for students to take courses that are very different than the ones offered on campus,” said Arnold van der Valk, director of Iowa Lakeside Laboratory.

For the 1999 session, there are 15 regular courses being offered, which span from three to four weeks, and seven shorter classes, which last from one to two weeks. Three different terms are being offered this year.

The longer classes are often field-oriented and include topics such as watershed analysis and archaeology, van der Valk said. The shorter classes include insect ecology and nature photography and are less technical.

Most of the classes have less than 10 people, which allows for more personal interaction between professors and students, van der Valk said.

Jeff Schulte, senior in environmental science, took classes at the lab last summer. He said he liked the small class sizes.

“The small classes are wonderful because you’re on a first-name basis with your professors,” he said.

The classes are taught by professors from ISU and other universities.

Classes typically start at 8 a.m. and last until 5 p.m.

Schulte said the first hour of his classes usually consisted of a lecture, and the rest of the day the class spent out in the field.

“The fieldwork and research is what really teaches you,” he said.

The cost for the classes at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory are the same as any ISU class, with one difference: Since the classes are held off campus, the university doesn’t charge out-of-state tuition, van der Valk said.

Scholarships also are available for the classes.

Course information can be found in the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Bulletin, which may be picked up in Room 131 of Bessey Hall.

Besides offering classes, the lab also offers research facilities and support for graduate students and faculty working on research projects.

Professor Thomas Macbride of the University of Iowa and biologists from other Iowa colleges established the lab in 1909 as a summer field station, according to the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Web site.

In 1936, the lab became a state institution. It now is run cooperatively by ISU, the U of I and the University of Northern Iowa through the Iowa State Board of Regents.

For further information, check out Iowa Lakeside Laboratory’s Web site at http://www.public. iastate.edu/~Lakeside.