July 2010 Archives

I love RMBL’s education program. I originally came to RMBL as a student in 1988 to take Field Ecology. The class opened my eyes to what it meant to be a scientist and taught me a new way of interacting with the world. My story is not unique. Each year a new crop of students comes in and experiences RMBL in their own way. Many of our senior scientists started out originally as students. And while many students do not return to Gothic year after year (I am getting embarrassingly close to my 25th summer), I know that RMBL was still a life-changing experience for many of them.

This week we had an alumnus who was a student in Gothic in 1964. He hadn’t been back since then, but he recently retired (he went out to a research career and was a prominent scientist in a federal agency) and told me that as he looked back over his life, that summer 46 years ago was critical to becoming a scientist. Even a little dose of Gothic can be a powerful thing.

Two years ago we made some changes in our education program— there is more of a focus on having students working directly with scientists. We also try to foster an atmosphere in which students take active control over their education. While our education program has always been good, I am seeing some amazing things happen. We are getting great students for whom a summer in Gothic is exactly what they need— applications are up. The excitement of eating in the dining hall is palpable. The sessions in which students presented their research plans for the summer were quite impressive. And several great students from last year are starting graduate research at RMBL this summer.

There are a lot of reasons to feel good about RMBL’s future. But seeing this next crop of students coming up and getting involved with RMBL is the most exciting.