Graphic Design + Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM)
An interdisciplinary 3 credit service-learning course that brings together art and science students to learn from each other and produce a product for the public. Students will travel to NREM’s French Conservation Camp in western Montana. There they will meet with scientists, US Forest Service rangers, and other stakeholders to learn about natural resource issues in the region, then design and produce new interpretive signs and other visual materials to be installed at trailheads and campgrounds to educate the public.
2 weeks in the field with designers, scientists, and the US Forest Service.
8 weeks on campus, in-studio, to design and produce the final materials
Students will meet with various stakeholders to learn about the differing (and sometimes conflicting) perspectives on natural resource management in the West. Then they will work collaboratively to design interpretive products. Communication is at the core of this course – students will learn to use art and design to communicate science to the public. For NREM students, especially those focused on the Interpretation of Natural Resources Option in either Forestry or Animal Ecology, this course provides an important hands-on opportunity to learn valuable skills and produce a product that will be immediately used by the public. For Design students, they get the opportunity to partner with scientists and gain practical experience creating products for a client in a different field.
File Under: graphic design | national parks