Student interest and increased publicity have helped keep one hands-on learning facility open for environmental studies.

Prior to 1994, the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in northern Iowa was in danger of closing because of lack of student interest and resources. An Iowa State University professor and a group called Friends of the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory have contributed to publicizing the lab and getting the Regents to take a closer look at its importance.

As a result of the changes, enrollment of students taking courses at the lab doubled in 1995 and increased another 30% in 1996, said ISU professor Arnold van der Valk, director of the lab.

“We are, in fact, getting close to our capacity in terms of the number of people that we can handle, because all of our classes are designed to be small,” van der Valk said.

The lab, a biological field station on the west shore of Lake Okoboji, is run cooperatively by all three Iowa State Board of Regents universities. Students enrolled at any of these universities may take courses at the lab.

At the field station, students learn by doing. The area surrounding the lab is rich in plant and wildlife habitat and natural resources for students to study. Courses are offered in biology, geology, natural history and archaeology.

“[Students] go to school 40 hours a week,” van der Valk said. “They take one course at a time, completely dedicated to one subject, spend as much time in the field as possible. So this is a very different educational experience from what they get back at their home campuses and one that is very much appreciated by the students.”

Perhaps because of the almost recreational nature of the course work at the lab, only one credit is given to students for each intensive week of study. Most courses last for three weeks. Students live communally on lab grounds while they take classes.

The lab also provides support for graduate student research.

“Over the last 90 years of the history of the lab, about three or four hundred theses have been done based on student research here,” van der Valk said. “So we have a very long and distinguished history in research.”

Since 1994, the lab has undergone considerable reorganization under the direction of van der Valk, and more changes are expected.

“Ever since 1994 we have been taking a very hard look at what we do here and why we do it,” he said. “And as a result of that exercise, we have basically completely restructured this facility and tried to make it a much more relevant facility both to the students that we are here to serve and also to the Iowa Great Lakes community.”

He said one of the failings of the lab in the past has been its lack of integration into the local community. To correct that problem, the lab has started a series of Wednesday night nature programs that are open to the general public.

“We take people out and show them some of the things around here,” van der Valk said. “These have been very successful and very popular. Whole families come — everybody from little toddlers to their grandparents.”

In addition, the lab has begun offering short, one-week courses — for credit if desired. Students can enroll for these classes through the Iowa Lakes Community College or several other universities. Van der Valk said these courses are open to anyone and are not just for college students or professionals.

“[They are] just for people who want to know something about the area they live in,” he said.