Field Experiences
Expand your field of study—and your comfort zone
Your academic journey in CNRE will take you well beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom. And our kind of field experiences will indeed take you into the fields — as well as the forests, labs, rivers, and streams. Field experiences offer the chance to apply what you are learning in the classroom, try out cutting-edge technology, and just prove to yourself that you can do it.
Hokie Storm Chasers go after the ultimate field experience
Every spring, Hokies have the opportunity to learn about severe weather forecasting by traveling across the Great Plains to intercept severe/tornadic thunderstorms and collect data. CNRE alumna Kathryn Prociv, a weather producer at NBC News, has traveled with the Virginia Tech team for a portion of the chase in past years. Click here to watch an Instagram reel about what it's like to be a part of the Hokie Storm Chase!
Put your skills to the test in Wildlife Field Techniques
Orienteering lab. GPS, remote camera, and bat detector training. Radio telemetry lecture. Bird capture techniques. Surveys for “herptiles.” Capture workshop including drop nets and dart guns. All are just part of the curriculum for Wildlife Field Techniques. A 10-day field experience is the culmination of this course, which will teach you the skills you’ll use in the field and then give you a chance to practice what you’ve learned at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center.
Other classes that take you into the field
Some of your major classes will have field experiences that are built into the curriculum. You’ll learn about core concepts and ideas, and essential tools and technology. Then you’ll get the chance to work on projects that let you put the skills and knowledge you’ve learned into practice. Below is a sampling of these courses:
- In Green Building Systems, you’ll learn the concepts of building green and then take on projects like designing and building sustainable housing units.
- In the Rocky Mountain field course, you’ll learn about weather systems and meteorology while negotiating the challenges of high altitudes.
- In Sustainable Urbanization, you'll get the change to redesign Central Park to make it more sustainable.
- As part of Field Experience in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (FREC), you’ll be surveying land boundaries, orienteering, trying your hand at timber harvesting, and more.
Get involved to find new avenues for adventure
Academic classes and activities aren’t the only way to get hands-on experience; there are also plenty of student clubs and organizations in CNRE that give you the chance to practice academic skills and get career experience. You could help plan the annual Mudbass Tournament, represent Virginia Tech at Timberbeast, or meet industry professionals at the Packaging Jamboree.
