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students at field station

Augustana College Field Stations

Augustana College owns and manages three field stations, which are living libraries and outdoor laboratories for students, faculty and staff interested in the environment.

The field stations also promote the understanding and protection of Illinois native ecosystems through field-based education, research and other scholarly activities.

Green Wing Environmental Laboratory (15 acres; 80 miles to the east of campus) is made up of open field habitat with patchy wood lots and a stream, and is equipped with two buildings that can accommodate college groups of about 20 persons for 1-day excursions and overnight trips.

students at green wing
Under the direction of Dr.'s Michael Reisner and Matthew Fockler, students enrolled in the special topics environmental studies course, ENVR380, prepared for field work in The Lodge, Green Wing's largest facility.

Collinson Ecological Preserve (67 acres; 6 miles south of campus) consists predominantly of upland hardwood forest and includes two high quality native loess hill prairie openings on a slope within the bluff overlooking Mill Creek. The Josua Lindahl Hill Prairies Nature Preserve is a 20-acre state nature preserve consisting of loess hill prairies and a geologically significant limestone cliff and lies within the Collinson boundaries.

students at collinson
Students in Dr. Jenny Burnham's Soil Science class (GEOG306) visited Collinson Ecological Preserve to study the basics of soil morphology, classification, and mapping (25 Sept 2016)

Beling Ecological Preserve (97 acres; 4 miles south of campus) contains flood plain forest that is adjacent to and seasonally flooded by the Rock River.

beling preserve
Looking west at edge of Rock River; Milan Beltway bridge is in view (center-left)
Kira Banks at the Moroccan National Institute of Hygiene

The liberal arts in action, across borders

As part of her Master of Public Health program at the University of Illinois Chicago, Kira Banks ’23 spent eight weeks in Morocco to study the feasibility of a screening program for toxoplasmosis. At Augustana, Banks triple-majored in public health, biology and Classics — a combination that proved more interconnected than it may seem.

Dr. Kimberly Murphy and Caleb Bishop ’28

Real impact, powered by students

Augustana’s Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness strengthens campus and community well-being through applied student research, internships, community service and other experiential learning opportunities. Learn about three partnerships focused on cleaner water, maternal health, and personal wellness.

Students interning in Costa Rica over the summer

Why more than 80% of Augustana College students have internships

From Quad Cities to Costa Rica, internships expose students to the career options that intrigue them the most, and build skills for the world after graduation.