Students in the environmental sciences diploma left the classroom behind to get their hands dirty during Field Week.

The excursion took them nearly 500 kilometers from campus to the Rocky Mountains around Hinton, where they put the lessons they learned in class to use earlier this semester.

On site, they worked on fluvial geomorphic assessment labs to judge whether streams were suitable for specific life forms, as well as inspected culverts to assess whether they were installed correctly given the environment they were in.

For Kallie Caskey, who is completing the second year of the water conservation and management program, the experience was an eye-opening one that gave her a chance to develop the hands-on skills that employers look for in new hires.

“It was cool to take what I learned in the classroom into the field and see it for myself,” says Caskey, who is completing a double diploma. Her first one was in conservation and restoration ecology. “It gave us a good idea of what to expect when you're out in the field working for companies. When I get into the industry, I'll know just a little bit more about what's going on.”

One of the best aspects of the trip was the opportunity to experience it with her classmates, to practice their skills together, building on a sense of teamwork, and rediscovering their love of nature. That's what drew them to the program in the first place.

In summary, she says, “Nature is cool.”

Photos: (Top) Environmental sciences diploma students assess a stream near Hinton. (Bottom) Kallie Caskey poses with her instructor Kris Novak on Field Week.