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Unparalleled
Opportunities
WSU Vancouver is ideally located adjacent to a wide
variety of natural resources. This situation allows an unparalleled
opportunity to incorporate these environmental settings into our laboratory
courses. Thus, students gain valuable "hands on" experiences while learning
and conducting research. In addition, these habitats are the subject of
faculty research and the opportunity to learn while working with faculty
members in different research areas is high.
The Columbia River
 The Columbia River stretches 1200 miles
from the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific Ocean. Major
environmental issues surrounding the river, including endangered
species, hydroelectricity, water pollution, and integrated watershed
management, are of international importance. Mill
Creek, which is located on the WSU Vancouver campus, is part of the
Columbia River watershed and several science courses focus on
vegetation patterns, water quality and environmental impacts to Mill
Creek and the nearby Salmon Creek watershed. |
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Mount St. Helens & the
Cascades
| Mount St, Helens is located 25
miles from campus and offers unique opportunities to study the geology of
the Cascade Mountains as well as the ecological process of succession
following the 1980 eruption. The Cascades Volcano Observatory has plans to
relocate on the WSU Vancouver campus in the near future. |
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Temperate Rain
Forests
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The Pacific NW is known for its
magnificent forests and the WSU campus is surrounded by 310 acres of
forest, streams and meadows that are incorporated into course
material. |
Puget Sound
| The Puget Sound area, which is a short
drive from campus, provides a unique area of protected coastal areas for
research and education. Pristine salt marshes are a unique habitat and
important nursery area for a wide variety of organisms. See Dr. Hacker's
research at Meyer's
Point. |
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Washington-Oregon
Coast
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Also nearby are the Washington and
Oregon coastlines. These pristine areas provide opportunities to study the
ecology and management of the oyster and clam industries, as well as a
wide-variety of habitats including long sandy beaches, rocky intertidal
areas, and mudflats.
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Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan
area
| Vancouver is part of the
Portland-Vancouver metro area and thus has a wide variety of available
job options. In recent years these areas have seen explosive growth in
high technology industries such a biotechnology, pharmacology, and a
wide variety of medical sciences. |
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