This course is recommended for students with majors such as Leisure Services, Social Work, Elementary Education, Special Education, Physical Education, and Community Health Education. The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is a field station located on approximately 140 acres of restored prairie, wetland, and gallery forest along the west shore of West Okoboji Lake in northwest Iowa. The Laboratory was established in 1909 for the conservation and study of the rich flora and fauna of northwest Iowa - especially the Iowa Great Lakes region with its numerous lakes, wetlands, and prairies. It is run cooperatively by the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Iowa, and Iowa State University. Specified courses for environmental science and biology teachers are also offered each summer.
Most courses have individual or group field projects as well as formal lectures and discussions.
Because all Lakeside courses are total immersion and meet all day, five days a week, students can take only one course at a time. Courses run for four weeks, except those for teachers, the Natural History Workshops and short courses which run one or two weeks. Class size for most courses is limited to ten students. The current Iowa Lakeside Laboratory Bulletin should be consulted for additional course, housing, and registration information. Scholarships are available to both undergraduates and graduate students.