Welcome to the Earthwatch Experience—it's time to get off campus and into the world.

Earthwatch College and University Groups provide life-changing opportunities to join the world's leading scientists in the field to tackle today's most pressing environmental challenges.

Earthwatch expeditions for 2012 are forming now, and can be easily organized for groups ranging from 6 to 20 participants.

The Faculty and Staff Experience

Studying the Bering Glacier in Alaska. Charles Winters, Art Dept, SUNY-Oneata
When you take your students into the field with Earthwatch, you get to inspire them as they gain valuable on-site training that complements and enhances your curriculum goals.

You'll also help them connect with your peers from leading research institutions around the world, while having your own chance to build and enhance collaborative research networks.

If you advise science students who have difficulty fitting study-abroad experiences into the demands of their majors, know that Earthwatch expeditions provide a unique opportunity to experience world travel and advanced scientific research at the same time, without committing to an entire semester or year away.

Whether you want to brush up on your own field research skills, help your students get the field training they'll need as they pursue scientific careers, or both, Earthwatch makes you a vital part of ongoing research studies that result in major publications, make their way into government policies, and inform local and global discussions about the environment.

The Student Experience

Volunteer sifting through archaeological dig finds. Copyright Lluis GibertLive and work with researchers in the world's endangered places—areas that mere "eco-tourists" don't get to experience.

Be a leader of positive change by working with scientists on crucial issues such as Climate Change, Oceans, Healthy Ecosystems, and Cultural Heritage.

Whether you're a science major, interested in world cultures, or looking for ways to take action with your friends or student group, Earthwatch can put you where you can learn and help at the same time.

Customize an expedition that works for you: go for one week or two, over spring break, during the summer, or in winter session. Make important contacts in the environmental field, get resume-building experience outside the classroom, and know that you're making a difference.

You can also work with your university professor to gain academic credit for your Earthwatch experience--ask us how.

Volunteers are trained and mentored by field scientists and other experienced research staff throughout each expedition. Volunteers learn how to: Volunteer gathering data on trees in Puerto Rico. Photo by Kevin McAndrew

  • Employ the latest advances in GPS and other technologies, from field camera traps to satellite radio collars;
  • Conduct biological transects of diverse ecosystems;
  • Collect and record plant, soil, and water samples;
  • Observe and record animal and insect behavior;
  • Properly excavate a dig site;
  • Perform laboratory analysis of samples and data in tandem with ongoing field work;
  • Collect and manage field data under actual field conditions;
  • And much more.

Most importantly, volunteers get an experiential educational project that teaches them to adapt to changing field conditions and allows them to have a positive impact on ecosystems and communities worldwide.

For more information on our group expeditions please email James Fry, Director of Institutional Partnerships, or call 1-800-776-0188 ext 221.

 

“I couldn’t accomplish my research goals without Earthwatch volunteers. With every new team, I feel and see the same awe and wonder in them that inspired my own passion for what I do. They take that passion and run with it.

Earthwatch does scientific research that is more diverse than what goes on in most universities, but it also does international development work better than many organizations that make that their primary goal.”

— Dr. Luke Dollar,
Duke University Primate Center; Principal Investigator, Carnivores of Madagascar

 

For more than 35 years, Earthwatch has partnered with and supported the research of scientists from the world's best research universities and research and conservation agencies, including:

In the US
The American Museum of Natural History
Boston University
Bryn Mawr College
Cornell University
Drexell University
Duke University
Harvard University
Indiana-Purdue University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The National Parks Service
The New England Aquarium
Princeton University
The Smithsonian Institution
The State University of New York
Tulane University
University of California (UCB,UCLA, UCSB, UCSD)
University of Denver
University of Georgia
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Miami
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania
University of Washington
The US Fish and Wildlife Service

Elsewhere around the world
Cambridge University (UK)
Essex University (UK)
James Cook University (Australia)
National University of Mexico
Open University (UK)
Oxford University (UK)
The University of Kent (UK)
The University of Leicester (UK)
The University of London
The University of Bath
University of Belize
University of Nairobi (Kenya)
University of Toronto (Canada)

 

 

Take a look at our Groups FAQ for detailed information on group expeditions