Research projects are an integral part of learning at Colby, and summer research assistants are hired in almost all departments and programs. Biology, geology, and ecology classes use the bog, which is a National Park Service Registered National Landmark, for field teaching and research. There are boathouses and docks for the men's and women's crew teams, which practice there. A fully-equipped woodworking shop and a blacksmith's forge as well as a lakeside picnic area are open to students and faculty. The entire 714-acre Colby campus has been designated a State Wildlife Management Area.
Astronomy classes experience a model of a large, mountaintop observatory.
Students and faculty open the facility to the community for viewing special astronomical events.