As an environmental science major, University of Iowa student Brittany McConnell knew she needed a field study course to meet her degree requirements, but she had no idea just how much fun it would be to take an aquatic ecology course at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in Milford, Iowa.

Brittany McConnell (far right) enjoys taking a field study course at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in summer 2012. Photo by Christopher Filstrup.

“Everyone I talked to about Lakeside Lab said they had the time of their lives there. The whole experience was wonderful," says Coralville resident McConnell, who graduated from the UI in summer 2012. "I met so many great people who had the same interests as me. It was nice to be able to talk about our research projects and work together in the lab."

McConnell says she also really enjoyed the hands-on work.

"It was a good way of showing that everything isn’t textbook perfect," McConnell says. "Sometimes your results don’t show what is expected, causing you to try to be creative and explain why.”

Room and board scholarships are now being offered to the first 50 students who register for a Lakeside Lab course and have a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.0 or above.

To apply, students must register for a Lakeside course at www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/lakesidelab/ustudents/index.html. Information about the scholarship is included as a part of the registration form.

Lakeside Laboratory, which is owned by the state of Iowa and operated through the Board of Regents, offers students a full-immersion, field-oriented learning experience within two-term sessions lasting four weeks.

The first term runs from May 20 through June 14, and the second term runs from June 17 through July 12. In addition, two-week courses in molecular ecology, prairie ecology, and archaeology are also available. Most courses meet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A number of courses are offered each year and are open to all majors. Students from any college or university can take coursework at Lakeside Laboratory. Students may wish to check with their academic advisor to determine if specific courses can be used to satisfy major, minor, or university requirements.

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory has provided summer classes and research opportunities to college students since 1909. As a Regents Resource Center, Lakeside also offers programs in lifelong learning for the people of northwest Iowa.

McConnell says she expected a Lakeside experience would help with her major, but what she got was so much more.

“After aquatic ecology, I was really pumped up to go out in the real world and look for a job," McConnell says. "I learned that environmental science is truly what I want to do for a career.”