The aim of this course is to develop field and laboratory skills relevant to the life sciences, as well as introduce students to a variety of teaching, learning and assessment types. The schedule will include a mixture of classroom, field and laboratory activities but will also include visits to cultural sites to introduce students to areas of interest in NE Scotland.

Sunday, July 27

• Arrival Day

Monday, July 28

• Introduction and Welcome Session
• Enjoy a tour of the University of Aberdeen, your home for the next 2 weeks. The school is located in Old Aberdeen, a beautiful urban area in Scotland, with buildings dating back to the 15th century.
• Free evening 

Tuesday, July 28

• Introductions and Lab Safety
• Lecture/Practical on Glucose Homeostasis
• Join a local guide on a city tour of Aberdeen. This dynamic city is a beautiful blend of old world charm and modern cosmopolitan community. Its known as the cultural center of Scotland, making it a very safe, vibrant and approachable city to get to know. 

Wednesday, July 30

• Debrief/Prep for Day
• Field Trip: Rocky Shore Ecology
• Free evening

Thursday, July 31

• Lecture/Practical on ELISA methods
• Lecture/Practical on ELISA & Data Analytics
• Take a trip to Dunnottar Castle, a fortress perched atop a 160 foot rock and surrounded by the three sides of the North Sea, that was once owned by the Marischal family, one of the most powerful families in Scotland. Enjoy a walk along the crags below, explore Stonehaven Harbour, the largest of the recreational harbours in Aberdeen. Enjoy traditional fish and chips while at the Aberdeen beachfront, famous for its golden sand. There is a beautiful grassy area adjacent to the sand where people like to watch the kite-boarders and surfers. 

Friday, August 1 

• Prep for field trip
• Field Trip: Investigating plant growth and development 
• Free evening

Saturday, August 2

• Free Day to explore the surrounding area of Aberdeen. Known as the Granite City, take in the sparkling granite stone buildings and monuments. There are museums to enjoy, delicious seafood and fare along the harbor, cobbled roads and history dating back to the 13th century. 

Sunday, August 3

• Free Day to keep exploring the area.

Monday, August 4

• Trip to Pitmedden Gardens, formal walled gardens of Scottish renaissance design, with stunning floral scapes. There is also a museum of farming life and a tea room to enjoy a Scottish delight. You will also visit Cruden Bay, a stunning golf course located on the water, famous for its beauty and design. 

Tuesday, August 5

• Intro to Critical Reading
• Leaf Traits Practical 
• Free evening

Wednesday, August 6

• Full Day Field Trip: Birds & Seals
• Free evening

Thursday, August 7

• Full day Lab Practical TBD

Friday, August 8

• Full Day Field Trip: Caledonian Pine Forest Ecology
• Scottish Traditional Dancing at the King's Pavillion

Saturday, August 9

• Free day to Explore

Sunday, August 10

• Free day to explore

Monday, August 11

• Trip to Cragievar Castle, a castle built in the Scottish Baronial style in 1576. It is steeped in history, art, and known for its pink color that inspired Walt Disneys' Cinderella castle. It was a family home for many years, filled with stories of times gone by. 

Tuesday, August 12

• Workshop: Creating a Poster
• Work on Assessments
• Field trip TBD

Wednesday, August 13

• Field Trip: Red Squirrels and Pine Martins 
• Practical Indirect Sampling Methods
• Free evening

Thursday, August 14

• Full Day Field Trip: Agricultural Soils & Management 
• Free evening

Friday, August 15

• Work on Assessments
• Presentations
• Farewell Dinner
• Free evening

Saturday, August 15

• Departure Day

This program will run from July 27 to August 16, 2025.

The program is credit bearing. You will receive 3 credits towards an upper level general science class.

Field Trips:

Field exercises will expose students to techniques for identifying and characterizing organisms, and for sampling aspects of the environment. Field trips likely to include insect sampling, Caledonian pine forest ecology and management, agricultural soils, methods of remote and indirect sampling for squirrels, investigating plant growth and development and rocky shore ecology.

Lab Practicals:

Lab practicals will develop students’ skills and relate observations and hands-on experience to concepts introduced in lectures, with post-lab debrief sessions ensuring students consolidate their learning. Laboratory sessions likely to include the use of ELISA methods to detect parasite antigens, glucose homeostasis to detect metabolic disease, plant-water relations, measuring and interpreting carbon respiration in agricultural soils, and river water analysis to examine the impact and consequences of nitrate in the environment.

Assessment:

Formative exercises will introduce students to a range of novel assessment types and provide a scaffold for the final summative assessment. The types of assessments that will be introduced will include: reflective writing; critiques of published papers; oral presentations; and, graphical abstracts. Through the production of a graphical abstract and written report students will demonstrate their understanding of one of the experiments conducted during the course.

All participants will be housed in University residence halls. 

The cost for the program in 2025 is £3000 euro, roughly $3,000 USD.

Price Includes:

• Tuition
• Lab materials
• Transport costs to and from field sites.
• 20 nights accommodation in University halls of residence.
• Leisure and Social activities 

Not included:

• International travel to and from the UK.
• Transport costs to/from the University from within the UK.
• Travel or health insurance.
• Visa costs, where applicable.
• All meals

Applications are due by February 28, 2025