In the fall of 2015, a hardy crew started paddling down the Mississippi for a learning adventure that took 鈥渆xperiential learning鈥� to a new level鈥擜ugsburg鈥檚 first River Semester. Ten years later, the sixth iteration of this one-of-a-kind study away program has set off once more.聽
Associate Professor Joe Underhill will lead a group of 10 students, three staff, and periodic visitors from the headwaters of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, mostly by boat. The students鈥攆ive Auggies plus students from Macalester College, the College of the Atlantic, and Agnes Scott College鈥攚ill each complete an individual research project, with topics ranging from benthic macroinvertebrates to sewage infrastructure in rural communities. Along the way, they鈥檒l be joined by researchers, artists, and experts on coastal restoration and environmental justice. In collaboration with partner organizations throughout the Mississippi watershed, they鈥檒l visit a wild rice harvesting camp, a life science research station, and a backwater flood control project. They鈥檒l camp and sail or paddle approximately 800 miles before concluding their voyage in Biloxi, MS, in mid-December.聽
in a piece on September 13, interviewing Underhill and Summer May ’26. “It’s bridging the connection between knowledge and application, and mind and place. We are directly interacting with the river,鈥� May said.
Follow along with the group鈥檚 progress on the , where students will periodically post daily log entries with description of the day’s activities, sightings, adventures, learnings, and personal reflections.
Learn more about River Semester:
- River Semester homepage
- 鈥擳he Minnesota Star Tribune, August 2023
- From a small-town book club to paddling the Mississippi River, learning gets bigger outside the classroom鈥擜ugsburg Now, February 2022
