Colton BrownSenior BIOSC major and pre-dental student Without a doubt, the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology (PLE) is one of my favorite parts of my undergraduate journey thus far. PLE is located in Pymatuning State Park which is approximately an hour and forty-five minutes north of Pittsburgh. Throughout the summer, a plethora of undergraduate courses are offered. Each course lasts three weeks and are offered during one of 4 summer sessions that start in the middle of May and run until the end of July (the summer 2020 course schedule is now available here. A few of the courses that are offered at PLE include BIOSC 0370/0390: Ecology & Lab, BIOSC 1610: Conservation Biology, BIOSC 1400: Disease Ecology, and BIOSC 1420: Wildlife Management. These courses are open to Pitt students as well as students from many other universities such as Edinboro, Clarion, Slippery Rock, and the Pitt regional campuses, which provides a great opportunity to meet students from different college backgrounds. In addition, the courses are taught by faculty from a range of schools, allowing for great networking opportunities! Completion of a summer course at PLE is an extremely efficient way to earn 3-4 credits in a short amount of time. Moreover, a PLE course is a great way to attempt to boost your GPA because it allows you to focus solely on one class rather than a full course load (4-6 different courses at the same time during a regular fall or spring term). Personally, I took the Ecology & Lab course which granted a total of 4 credits. As a Biological Sciences major, this course covered both the Ecology (or Evolution) core course requirement and one out of two required BIOSC Elective Labs. The other courses offered at PLE can each count as a BIOSC upper division elective and because they are field courses also satisfy an elective lab (but please remember that students must complete one elective lab course on the Pittsburgh campus). This can be a great way to free up space in your schedule for future semesters in order to prevent a heavy workload. When I first arrived at Pymatuning for my Ecology course, the facilities greatly exceeded my expectations. At the housing site, there are two recently remodeled dorms. Believe it or not, the bathrooms in the dorms were nicer than the bathrooms in the Litchfield Towers that a majority of freshmen live in at the Oakland campus. Food is provided in the Dining Hall, which is in close proximity to the dorms. Additionally, the Sanctuary Lake Site contains the classrooms. Vans are driven by the instructors to travel the short distance between the Housing Site and the classrooms. The courses are scheduled for Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until approximately 5:00 pm. However, you will spend a large portion of that time in the field instead of the classroom each day. Although the main goals of the PLE courses are to gain experience in a field course and to earn credits towards a degree, there is an overabundance of ways to spend your free time while there. One of my personal favorites was taking canoes and kayaks out on the lake with some friends. In addition, the Recreation Hall contains ping pong tables, a pool table, and an area with couches and a TV. Also, there are biking trails, hiking trails, and designated swimming beaches nearby. If you happen to have your car, there are grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants within a few miles of the site. Within the 3-week span, my friends and I made at least 5 trips to the nearby Sheetz for some late night food. Lastly, taking a course at PLE was a great way to make new friends. Even though you will meet those who are enrolled in your course, there are also students taking the other courses that are offered. Approximately a year has passed since I took the course; however, I still communicate with the people that I met through my time at PLE! All and all, I would highly recommend taking a summer course at the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology. If you have any questions about PLE, come and see me during my office hour in the Langley Lobby on Mondays from 4:30-5:30PM! Below is a link to the PLE website in case you would like more information about the program.
https://www.biology.pitt.edu/facilities/pymatuning In addition, the Bio Advising office will be holding an information session about PLE summer courses and research opportunities on November 15 from 2-3. More info can be found here.
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January 2022
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