This institution serves a nontraditional student population with high proportions of returning adults, part-time students, women, and minorities. Many of these students have little experience with natural environments and little knowledge of science, particularly outside the traditional laboratory setting. The focus of this project is the use of relatively simple instrumentation to introduce a wide spectrum of students to the aims and methods of field science, as practiced in physical and environmental geography. The project is purchasing basic instrumentation sufficient to teach field methods in each of the major subfields of physical/environmental geography, including climatology, hydrology, geomorphology, soils, and biogeography. Field instruction in existing courses, both introductory and advanced, is being expanded. The expanded instruction makes it possible to teach a new course in field methods and to develop nontraditional avenues for geographic field instruction, including interdisciplinary courses with other departments on campus and workshops for teachers of geography in primary and secondary schools. This field training is introducing a diverse array of urban undergraduates to the methods and benefits of field science in natural settings. Moreover, it includes all facets of environment, encouraging students to consider environmental interdependencies and feedbacks. Finally, it is providing applied training to geography majors interested in the environmental positions. *
