In a unique approach to teaching geoscience, University of Chicago professors Susan Kidwell and Michael LaBarbera have transformed the 63rd Street Beach into an educational laboratory. This location serves as the focal point for their course on geology and environmental science, which is now in its third year. The beach's history, shaped by both natural forces and human intervention, offers a rich learning environment.
Professor Kidwell was inspired to develop this course during walks taken amid pandemic restrictions. "We were looking at a deteriorating seawall that turned out to date back to the Columbian Exposition," she said. "I thought, I could design a whole course around just this one beach."
The course explores how Lake Michigan's ancient coastlines were formed by natural processes thousands of years ago and how human activity has since altered them. The shoreline tells a story of change, from the early days of Fort Dearborn through various significant developments.
Kidwell explained, “We’re trying to teach how to read a landscape and understand what you’re looking at.” The class focuses on understanding the combination of natural forces and human actions that shape the coastline.
During field trips, students engage in exercises designed to develop their scientific intuition. They hypothesize about features they observe on the beach and learn through hands-on exploration. "You’re looking for patterns that help you see the processes and forces shaping the beach," Kidwell noted.
Students also complete individual projects researching shorelines personally significant to them. These projects involve analyzing geological histories and assessing current threats to these areas.
Fourth-year student Phoebe Fingold described the class as transformative: “It’s made me well-versed in understanding the natural and man-made processes that occur along a coastline.” Another student, Livia Zhu, appreciates how the knowledge gained is applicable beyond academia: “Just going to a shoreline, you can look at changes people have made and deduce why.”
Kidwell hopes her students will continue applying their knowledge outside class. She humorously aims for them to engage their families with newfound insights about coastal resilience: “The aim is for every one of them to bore their own family to absolute tears about sand, gravel, and coastal resilience once they get home.”