Exploring the Environment
Washington College has a long tradition of exploring the natural world, embracing both a practical, hands-on approach to problem solving and the more thoughtful approach of research science. From Charles Peale's instruction in navigation and surveying, to the introduction of evolution and anthropology only 14 years after Darwin published his Origin of Species; from our involvement in the founding of the American Medical Association in the 1840s to the College's 21st century leadership in protecting the environment, Washington College has been at the forefront of scientific inquiry into our physical world and the environments in which we live.
The educational experience we offer is inextricable with our setting on Maryland's Eastern Shore, a tidal peninsula rich in history, traditions and natural resources. Students, regardless of discipline, often choose Washington College because Chestertown is such a gem, because the Chester River is one of the most beautiful waterways in America, and because the recreational opportunities and the maritime culture available here are so appealing. And, as one local community proclaims: "Nice people live here." Many Eastern Shoremen depend on the land and water for their livelihoods, and newcomers value and protect that bond between man and nature.
From these traditions Washington College launched an environmental studies program in 1995 with a single major. Today, students are engaged in important local, national and global issues such as environmental sustainability, land-use management, water quality monitoring, underwater habitat assessment and marine archaeology, as well as grass-roots efforts to slow overdevelopment. The Center for the Environment and Society, created in 2000, brings together students and faculty to examine the human dimension of environmental issues, recognizing that solutions to problems must not only be scientifically sound, but socially acceptable.
In this 225th anniversary year, the CES will launch the Chesapeake Semester, a concentrated program of study intended to immerse students in the maritime culture of the region and prepare them to meet the environmental challenges ahead.