Students explore nature through interdisciplinary courses

McMaster’s Arts & Science program and School of Interdisciplinary Science offer a series of “Interdisciplinary Experiences” courses that guide students through experiential and self-directed learning opportunities that range from local excursions to international explorations. Most recently, students participated in “A Celebration of Winter as Place,” a trip to Algonquin Park, and “Kentucky Caving,” an exploration of Cave City, Kentucky.

A Celebration of Winter as Place
Rather than avoid the February cold over reading week, Artsci and SIS students learned to live well in the Canadian winter as part of “A Celebration of Winter as Place.” Ten Artsci, LifeSci and iSci students were guided by instructor Zachary de Jong, an Artsci grad, and former Artsci professor Dr. Bob Henderson, who shared both his cottage and his immense passion for and knowledge of winter and the outdoors.

In the frozen landscape of Algonquin Park, participants snowshoed, hiked in moccasins, skied Algonquin’s trails, drew water from a lake through an ice hole and tested sleeping outside in quinzees.

They also shared and studied a range of stories from Inuit mythology to tales involving the mystery of early-20th century artist Tom Thomson, all of which make up the fabric of diverse relationships with winter and Canada’s north.

All participants came away with an understanding of the Norwegian word friluftsliv, or “open-air living,” and a newfound appreciation for the place winter holds in personal and national perspectives.

Kentucky Caving
Artsci and SIS students also recently took part in a four-day excursion to Cave City, Kentucky, where they explored karstic geomorphology, performed underground biological inventories, discussed the rich local caving history and considered environmental issues caused by mismanagement of these natural features.

The group, led by Dr. Chad Harvey and Dr. John Maclachlan, made the 10-hour drive down the I-75, stopping at interesting places along the way — not tourist attractions, but some lesser-known spots that allowed students to really appreciate the journey and begin their experiential learning.

Upon arriving in Kentucky, the group settled in at what Maclachlan calls “the fabulous” Red Roof Inn, feasted at a local Mexican restaurant and laid out plans for the trip.

At the entrance of Sand Cave, students gained perspective on the rich caving history in the region with the story of Floyd Collins, who died in the cave sitting just below them. The story transcends local folklore — newspaper coverage of rescue attempts won a Pulitzer Prize, and it was one of the first live events to be covered by radio broadcast. A visit to Collins’ gravesite allowed the group to pay respects to the famous cave explorer.

Next on the itinerary was a guided tour of Diamond Caverns, a picturesque cave site that gave students their first opportunity to understand what a cave should look like.

Later that afternoon, the group proceeded to the much more intense Mammoth Cave, which is part of the longest cave system in the world.

While typical tours at this location are designed for very large tourist groups, Ranger Rick Olson arranged for the group to take their tour after the park was closed, spending more than three hours underground, soaking in the cultural history, checking in on unexplored archeological sites, and learning about saltpeter mining that took place during the Civil War.

In all, the group traversed several kilometres of underground passages that ranged in size from a narrow tunnel, appropriately named “Fat Man’s Misery,” to caves as large as airplane hangars.

The next day, at Hidden River Cave, the group was joined by Level IV Artsci student Hannah Skelding, who demonstrated how to take actual sediment core in cave conditions. Skelding, currently working on a related research project, was able to go through the process, explain why it matters, and help prepare students to return to Mammoth Cave to put their newfound skills to use.

Students who participated in the four-day adventure are planning reconvene in April to reminisce about their Kentucky experience over Kentucky Fried Chicken.

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With files from Zach de Jong and John Maclachlan