Environmental Policy Meets Biology Learning Community

The Northland Pioneer College Environmental Policy Meets Biology Learning Community team took an innovative, transdisciplinary approach to ecological education. By combining biology and political science, the innovators provided students with a holistic education in environmental issues. Students engaged with guest speakers, natural landscapes, and political theory to grow as thoughtful scholars and citizens. The approach gave students unique experiences in NPC’s diverse service area, which covers habitats such as mountainous forests, dry deserts, living resource-filled wetlands, and fossil-filled landscapes. Students learned about the scientific and sociopolitical realities of life within the various climates to promote local engagement, critical thinking, and global awareness. This learning community serves as a potent example of empowering students to face today’s most complex issues.

Innovators

• Kathleen Berlyn, Faculty, Biology
• Dylan Stiegemeier, Faculty, Political Science