Imagine you're standing on the banks of the second-largest river in California. With your feet in the mud and your head full of ideas, you collect water samples, take it back to the lab and, later, test for toxic algae.

These are just some of the things you would do as part of the Klamath Connection, a free year-long program of science and general education (GE) courses and activities that focus on one theme: the Klamath River. As part of this program, you will:

  • Enroll in program-specific sections of major and general education (GE) courses. These courses will demonstrate the link between the three majors as well as relate them to the place where you are choosing to live and study for the next four years.
  • Go on field trips and explore topics related to the Klamath River in a special multi-day Humboldt Immersion the week before the start of school.
  • Meet other students in your major and related majors.
  • Conduct experiments alongside scientists working on water quality, habitat restoration, and fish and wildlife conservation.
  • Take a Native American Studies course that will connect western science with Indigenous cultures, values, and environmental knowledges
  • Learn how solving the biggest social and environmental problems requires good science, critical thinking, a commitment to social justice, and effective communication.
  • Have the opportunity to live in our themed housing, where we organize study sessions when you need it most.
  • Be connected to campus resources and opportunities to help you succeed.
  • Get to know the professors of your courses before class even begins.

Why the Klamath River?

The Klamath flows from Southern Oregon into Northern California. It's big. It's breathtaking. It's a complex system affected by ecological, political, and economic factors. Home to diverse communities including Native American tribes, farmers, and fisherman, it's a place we can all learn from.

For these reasons, the river offers students a unique way of studying one subject from the perspective of different disciplines.

Klamath Connection at Cal Poly Humboldt

 

 

Place-Based Learning Communities at Cal Poly Humboldt