Sixteen Oregon Institute of Technology Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences students who enrolled in a 400-level course visited Arcata Marsh and Humboldt State University's associated research facilities March 6 and 7, 2010. The students were accompanied by two OIT faculty members: David Thaemert, Civil Engineering, and Andrew Ray, Environmental Sciences. The extended field trip both complemented and summarized OIT’s new cross-listed Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences course called “Treatment Wetlands.” This course was designed to introduce students to the salient features of wetlands and show how wetland biological, chemical, and physical processes are used for wastewater treatment.
Dr. Robert Gearheart of Humboldt State University hosted the OIT student delegation, while reviewing the history of the City of Arcata’s municipal treatment wetlands and providing an in-depth tour and discussion of the complex of treatment and natural wetlands that now represent the Arcata Marsh. The marsh experience allowed students to connect their academic work – including study of wetland vegetation, organisms, water chemistry, and hydraulics – with real-world applications.
