
Field Station
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute provides natural areas and facilities to facilitate scientific research, visual art, creative writing, and natural resource management. The Institute annually awards grants to undergraduate and graduate students from consortium colleges and universities to complete creative and biological projects over the summer.
Facilities, including lab space and housing, are available for many types of research and other projects.
Field Station
Our field statoin works with a consortium of 12 colleges and universities from Michigan and Indiana. Members serve on an Advisory Board that helps to oversee and evaluate the field programs:
Aquinas College
Calvin University
Central Michigan University
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids Community College
Grand Valley State University
Hope College
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Kendall College of Art and Design
Valparaiso University
Western Michigan University
Research and Education Facility
The Institute facilities include three classroom spaces, an auditorium, housing for 42, dining room and kitchen service, and laboratory space. Field station's facilities and property are available for short- and long-term research projects or for afternoon or multi-day field trips with overnight accomodatons to both consortium members and other organizations.
For more information on the facilities and detailed price estimates, please contact Sara Syswerda at syswerdas@cedarcreekinstitute.org.
Grant and Fellowship Opportunities
The goal of the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Field Station is to enhance the health and stability of ecosystems in West Michigan by providing scientific information to support land management decisions. In addition to science and natural resource work, the Institute provides funding for creative art and writing projects.
Applications for grants are released on an annual basis in October and are due in early February. For more information about the grants and fellowships download an application below.
Questions? Contact Field Station Manager Matthew Dykstra at (269) 721-4473 or email him at dykstram@cedarcreekinstitute.org.
See our field station opportunities below!
Field Station Opportunities
Environmental Research Grants
Supports research projects focused on environmental monitoring of critical species and ecosystems and the improvement of land management tools to support ecosystem functioning.
Natural Resource Fellowships
Supports a summer work experience for students interested in careers in natural resources, wildlife, and aquatic resources management. Students work with Institute staff and researchers to complete a variety of projects throughout the summer.
Gordon Art Fellowship
Brings together a love of nature and art and funds a student-mentor team in creating a two-
dimensional visual arts project.
Nature in Words Fellowship
Supports a student-mentor team working on a nature-centered creative writing project such as poetry, essays, or short stories.
Food and Housing Grants
Support student researchers who need on-site housing and food service while conducting research at the Institute or nearby areas. Grants are dependent on the availability of housing.
Photo Credit: Richard Smith