CEER Field Station

Learn By Doing in the Outdoors

At Susquehanna University, learning goes beyond the classroom. The CEER Field Station is where you turn environmental coursework into hands-on experience.

Located on the west side of campus, the 87-acre CEER Field Station includes farmland, forests, wetlands and streams. You’ll study ecosystems, collect data, restore habitats and apply sustainable practices in the field. From testing water quality to planting trees and managing a flock of sheep that live at the solar array, you’ll gain real-world experience that prepares you for careers in ecology, environmental science, sustainability and environmental education.

The CEER Field Station also supports Susquehanna’s commitment to sustainability. The site includes beehives, research plots, walking trails, a solar array and the Freshwater Research Institute. It’s a space where you can study, explore and make a real impact on the Susquehanna River watershed and beyond.

Explore The Center for Environmental Education & Research

Aerial view of a rural landscape featuring a large red barn with a white roof, surrounded by lush green fields. A paved road runs alongside the barn. In the background, a field with rows of solar panels is visible. Trees and greenery are scattered throughout.

@SusquehannaU

Environmental Learning

How CEER Shapes Your Academic Journey

A woman in a beige jacket and gloves is weaving branches with green and red leaves into a wooden fence in a wooded area, supporting local Watershed Studies. Another person is visible in the background working similarly. The setting is sunny with scattered trees.

Hands-On Research in Real Ecosystems

Explore topics like stream restoration, native plant propagation, pollinator health and forest management using professional tools and field-tested methods.

Explore Research

A group of sheep grazes on green grass beneath rows of solar panels. The panels are elevated, allowing the sheep to move freely underneath. The setting is outdoors with a mix of cloudy and sunny weather.

Sustainability with Purpose

Engage in long-term ecological projects like native tree planting, habitat restoration and invasive species control. These efforts support regional ecosystems and add real results to your resume or grad school application.

Explore Sustainability

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Learn with Faculty & Staff Who Know the Land

At CEER, your professors do more than teach—they research here too. You’ll learn alongside experts who guide you through hands-on learning in real environments.

Beekeepers in protective gear inspect beehives outdoors, contributing to sustainability initiatives. The sunny scene buzzes with bees around wooden hive boxes. A bottle of bee repellent and white buckets are visible, while a person in jeans stands nearby.

Connect Beyond the Classroom

Join student-led clubs like Beekeeping Club or Geo Club to deepen your knowledge, gain leadership experience and meet others who care about the environment.

Explore Clubs & Organizations

87+ acres

of meadows, forests, wetlands and riparian buffers

3,500 sq. ft.

of indoor and outdoor lab space

30%

of campus electricity powered by CEER’s solar array

View All Facts & Figures

Where Your Future Takes Root

Whether you’re majoring in ecology, environmental studies, Earth and environmental sciences or just want to get your boots muddy, the CEER Field Station helps turn curiosity into experience. You’ll leave with more than a degree—you’ll leave with purpose and the skills to create a more sustainable world.

Relevant programs include:

View Programs

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Freshwater Research Institute

The Freshwater Research Institute (FRI) at Susquehanna University is located on the CEER Field Station. As a student, you’ll gain real-world experience through hands-on research, collaborations with state agencies or nonprofits and by applying classroom knowledge to active restoration projects.

Explore the Freshwater Research Institute

Three people are engaged in watershed studies, tending to blue circular tanks outdoors. They use lids and nets to interact with the water, while the background showcases trees and a partly cloudy sky.

K-12 TeacherS: the CEER is here to Support your Work

Susquehanna University’s CEER Field Station offers dynamic, hands-on environmental education experiences for K–12 students through its ROOTed program: Real-world Observation, Outreach, and Transformation in education.

From stream studies to soil testing and pollinator projects, each visit connects your students with authentic STEM learning aligned with NGSS and PA STEELS standards. Our team works directly with teachers to design age-appropriate, inquiry-based lessons that support curriculum goals while engaging students in the natural world.

Programs are available for elementary, middle and high school classes and are tailored to your classroom’s needs. Whether you’re looking for a one-time experience or an ongoing partnership, CEER provides a safe and exciting outdoor classroom just a few miles from your school.

Interested in programming, a field trip or learning more? Contact our Director of Environmental Education to explore available programs and start planning your visit.

COntact

A young boy crouches on grass near an apple press while adults and other children stand nearby, some holding cups. The sunny outdoor setting, with blurred plants in the foreground, invites curiosity much like new research opportunities.

Two people work outdoors, one wearing a cap and boots, planting a small tree in a grassy area surrounded by tall trees. The ground is partly frosted, and the sky is clear.

Chesapeake Conservancy

Susquehanna and the Chesapeake Conservancy partner on precision conservation, using geospatial analysis for targeted land restoration, and offer a workforce development program to prepare college students for conservation careers.

A wooden beehive box with multiple frames is shown, filled with a large number of bees. The bees are actively moving across the frames, with some flying in and out. Sunlight illuminates the scene, highlighting the natural activity of the bees.

Beehives

Our beehives provide valuable hands-on learning experiences for students, allowing them to study the life cycle of pollinators while learning how to care for and protect them.

People are planting trees across a grassy field under a bright sky. The area is surrounded by lush greenery and tall trees, suggesting a landscape restoration effort.

Pawpaw Trees

North America’s largest native fruit, pawpaws are grown at CEER to stabilize the stream bank and showcase their cultivation potential. First grown by Native Americans, pawpaws’ unique banana-mango flavor connects us to ancestral lands.

A flock of sheep grazes on green grass beneath large solar panels. The sheep are mostly white, with one brown sheep in the center. The solar panels are elevated, and the scene takes place in a lush, rural setting.

Solar Array

Our 14-acre, 12,000 panel solar array provides 30% of the university’s electricity and when installed in 2018, was the largest university-sponsored solar array in Pennsylvania. More than 30 sheep from Owens Farm in Sunbury serve as our lawn mowers around the solar panels.