Exploring Science at the Vassar Ecological Preserve

In 1982, biology professor Robert Suter and his spouse, Valerie, head of the Physics Department at Arlington high school, created the pioneering program Exploring Science at the Vassar Ecological Preserve to expose elementary-school children to natural history and hands-on science, and to protect the Vassar Ecological Preserve from encroachment by developers and others seeking to use it for non-educational purposes. “The impetus for this program came from two directions,” wrote Suter in the VQ, 1982, “first from my concern that the college's ecological preserve is now used only for Vassar students, and is underutilized at that, and second from my realization that local public schools offer little or no hands-on science in the first three years.”

Exploring Science at the Vassar Ecological Preserve has been running since 1983 serving more than 50,000 children in local school districts throughout Dutchess County. Generally, the program serves 2nd and 3rd-grade classrooms but has been adapted to younger and older grades as well.

The purpose of the program continues to be to provide Vassar students with an opportunity to interact with school-aged children and teach them about science, as well as, to provide a venue for local teachers to enrich their science curriculum.

In 2019, Exploring Science became part of the Environmental Cooperative. In addition to a field trip to the Vassar Ecological Preserve, local elementary students now have the opportunity to have educators from the Cooperative and Vassar College students teach pre and post lessons in their classrooms. Our interactive lessons focus on themes such as life cycles, food chains, scientific observation, and water quality. When students come to the Environmental Cooperative for a field trip they have the opportunity to see the Vassar Ecological Preserve and explore local habitats.

The Environmental Cooperative engages Vassar students through the Office of Community Engaged Learning, work-study, and collaborations with the Education Department (EDUC 361). Vassar students receive training from the Cooperative in outdoor environmental education methods as part of the program and gain valuable experience by working with children both in the classroom and outdoors.

The program is directed by Jennifer Rubbo, the Director of the Environmental Cooperative who can be contacted at jerubbo@vassar.edu or call (845) 437-7422.