Students at Washington College recently completed the Chesapeake Semester, a program that takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying the Chesapeake Bay. The initiative moves students from classroom learning to field experiences throughout the semester.
Anna McCabe, a first-year environmental science major and softball team member, was among 12 participants in the program this past fall. She described her experience:
“Having just completed Chesapeake Semester this fall, I can safely say that it was an experience I will cherish and always look back on in awe now knowing how special it was. I am so grateful it turned out that way too, as Chesapeake Semester was a main selling point as to why I chose to come to Washington College.”
McCabe noted that the program differs from traditional academic approaches due to its focus on experiential learning about the Chesapeake Bay. Students spent time both in classrooms and engaging directly with experts in various settings such as cattle farms, museums, Smith Island, and even Belize.
“The big thing that sets the program apart from typical schooling is its commitment to teaching about our beloved local body of water, the Chesapeake Bay, in an interdisciplinary fashion through experiential learning opportunities. This meant learning inside the classroom for a week or two and then going out and talking to field experts about what we learned while being in places significant to the topics discussed, such as cattle farms, museums, Smith Island, and even Belize, where we saw how certain environmental and social issues are the same no matter where you are!”
She added: “Through this program 11 other students and I gained a whole new appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay as we examined it from several academic lenses. Getting to immerse ourselves in the rich culture of the Bay by talking to people who live and breathe it, like the watermen, really helped me open my mind to how intertwined all the aspects of the Bay could be.”
The curriculum covered subjects ranging from Indigenous history connected with Maryland’s waterways to scientific changes affecting the bay over time. Artworks related to these themes were also part of their studies.
“One of our classes discussed the Indigenous people of Maryland and how they lived in sync with the Bay. Another examined the Bay on a more scientific level and why and how it has changed over time. Then, the next day we would be looking at artworks showcasing portrayals of both the Bay and Indigenous people of the area and learning how to understand what message these paintings were trying to get across at the time they were made. No matter what subject we were supposed to be learning there was always overlap, which is always something that I had been told would happen in a major like environmental science because it is inherently interdisciplinary, but I was never quite able to understand that until I saw it unfolding right in front of me.”
Beyond academics, McCabe highlighted community-building aspects among students:
“Not only did Chesapeake Semester give me extensive knowledge of the Bay, but it also gave me a family of people who I know I can rely on regardless of our program’s semester coming to a close. Starting off as a group of 12 relative strangers who get thrown into a week of ‘team bonding’ and then get carted around in the same transit van across Maryland every few weeks does something to a group. Especially when you are cooking meals, journaling and creating art, pitching tents, freezing in farm fields, doing assignments, living in an Airbnb on a remote island, and exploring coral reefs all together; you are bound to get attached.”
She continued: “Going through so much constant change and starting to get familiar with ‘being comfortable being uncomfortable’ (a famous Ches Sem saying) made us grow both as individuals and as a group.”
Support from peers and professors was another key element:
“Not only did I have all the support in the world from my peers when things got a bit too overwhelming, but I also had the support of my amazing professors, who we spent almost as much time with. It truly is the people who make the program…”
Reflecting on her growth during Chesapeake Semester she said:
“Now having completed Chesapeake Semester and getting to explore such a unique location as the Bay so deeply…I learned so much about myself this semester…I cannot wait to see how Chesapeake Semester will continue to shape my path forward…”
The Chesapeake Semester aims for students not only gain scientific understanding but also learn through direct engagement with communities affected by coastal challenges—an approach reflecting current trends toward hands-on education models.
