 |
|
Departments of: Biology, Chemistry, and the Environmental Studies Program |
||||||
|
||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||
Natural
Areas: The entire Mayflower Hill campus has been designated by the
Maine legislature as a State Wildlife Management Area. A 128-acre part of the
woodland (Perkins Arboretum) has been established as a wildlife sanctuary. The
College also owns the Colby-Marston Preserve in the Belgrade Lakes area, a 34–acre
tract containing a kettle–hole bog, which has been classified as a Registered
Natural Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. Additional
marine and lake field study sites are located nearby. Courses use these areas
frequently for training in field methods, instruction about different ecosystems
and for faculty and student research projects.
Buildings: The three recently remodeled science buildings,
and the F.W. Olin Science Center
have excellent teaching and research laboratories furnished with the necessary
equipment to undertake sophisticated environmental investigations. Colby students
have access to state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping
tools that enable them to create sophisticated computerized maps, analyze complex
spatial data, and produce professional-looking cartographic output. This GIS
software has been actively used in the classroom, most notably with students
in the “Problems in Environmental Science” capstone course in the
Biology:Environmental Science major.
The Allyn-Smith Science Library, where science texts, journals,
and indexes are available in paper, compact disc, and online formats to facilitate
student research, is located in the F.W. Olin Science Center. It is also a repository
for maps and other publications of the United States Geological Survey.