The Summer Field Program has seen a lot of changes since its launch in 1947 as an initiative of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences and the first activity of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL). The SFP is an immersive four-week academic experience that engages undergraduate and graduate students in hands-on, field- and lab-based learning across coastal and marine environments. Many students who enroll from the dozens of colleges and universities in Mississippi and beyond that are affiliated with the program, allowing them to earn credit at their home universities while studying at the GCRL. Students travel to field environments on beaches, in bayous, estuaries, salt marshes and sea grass beds across the northern Gulf to learn, explore, and prepare for their professional futures. Among the thousands of students who have taken a class over the decades are many prominent marine scientists and resource managers.

During this session we will share key highlights from the program’s history and describe some novel approaches introduced recently. We will discuss some of the High-Impact Practices our instructors incorporate, including field activities, place-based learning, collaboration, and reflection. We will also present results and observations from the 2025 classes. In addition, we will outline the need for longitudinal data collection to better understand the long-term experiences and impacts among the past participants, and explain how we plan to address that need. Finally, we will invite audience members who have taken an SFP course to connect with us so they can be included in this work.