Hanover College Students are presented, through The Rivers Institute, with unique opportunities to become involved in a variety of interdisciplinary programs. These programs focus on enriching the curriculum at Hanover College with real-life experiential opportunities for students leading them toward stewardship, preservation, and conservation.

Hanover Student Internships & Research
Hanover students have many exciting opportunities to become involved in the Rives Institute including internships, research grants, volunteerism and much more. Internships and research projects on and off campus allow students to expand their liberal arts education while studying river environments in a truly interdisciplinary fashion.

Past internships locations include: ORSANCO, Eiteljorg Museum, Howard Steamboat Museum, FMSM Engineers, McHenry County

Past research projects include: Muscatatuck Watershed Project, Army Corps of Engineers: Manatee Conservation in Florida, Transcontinental Journey to Alaska: Nonfiction Creative Writing

Research with Faculty
The Rivers Institute is committed to supporting the research and monitoring of watersheds. Hanover College currently has a group of students, supported by the Rivers Institute, monitoring the Muscatatuck Watershed in Jefferson County, Indiana. This monitoring is dependent, in large part, on volunteers who are trained to do the assessment. This opportunity allows students to gain real-world, hands-on experience while working with professionals in the field.

The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois also partners with the Rivers institute allowing a few students to intern each summer. The student interns work alongside Hanover college faculty and other scientists to study snake evolution.

Rivers Institute Exhibit
The goal of the Rivers Institute Exhibit is to bring resources and expertise off campus and serve the community. This unique educational tool is designed for traveling to many different categories of events. From festivals, to conferences, to schools, this exhibit consisting of a stream table, river animals, interactive river adventures and much more, teaches the public about the importance of river systems to the success of our society. Hanover College students are vital in the creation, implementation and maintenance of this exhibit, as well as the transportation, setup and educational component that makes this exhibit successful.

Volunteer Opportunities
Students are afforded many volunteer opportunities through out the year, including BioBlitzes and the Great River Paint out.

Over the past several years, the Rivers Institute has become recognized as a facilitator of BioBlitz events in the State of Indiana. A BioBlitz inventories and protects living organisms that are part of a local environment.

A BioBlitz is a rapid assessment (usually over a 24 hour period) of the species found in a particular area. Scientists, students and other volunteers work in teams to identify the local flora and fauna. In our cell phone and video game society, many people have lost contact with the natural world. BioBlitz events invite participants to explore their environment, ask questions, and become better informed citizens.

While opening the beauty of Hanover College, aspiring student artists are afforded the opportunity to work along side Artists, Art Organizations, and Art Lovers during the Great River Paint Out. All are invited to experience beautiful vistas and serene surroundings at Hanover College. The Paint Out provides an opportunity for all levels of artists to join together and learn from each other as they enjoy the beautiful 650 acre Hanover
College Campus.

Conferences & Symposia
The Rivers Institute promotes education through diverse conferences and symposia. The goal is to provide information in a liberal arts setting as to provide a truly interdisciplinary educational experience. Student involvement may include anything from simply attending the conference to giving a formal presentation. Past conferences & symposia have included: Non-Point Source Pollution, Water: The Rise and Fall of Civilization, and Global Climate Change.

Experience with Teachers (Coming 2009 & 2011)
The Rivers Institute at Hanover College invites school groups grades K-5 to explore the wonders of the Hanover College Campus. Students acquire unique real-world experience while leading these groups through a lesson in the Rivers Institute lab, on a tour of the natural history museum, exploring forest trails, and enjoying an enthralling storytelling experience. Students (old and young) will never forget this exciting field trip! The school field trip program provides an economically-friendly, interdisciplinary learning opportunity to children. This distinctive program not only teaches children, but also engages Hanover College students of diverse majors in the creating, planning and implementation of the program.

At the Rivers Institute Rivers Camp, kids ages 6 to 11 will explore the forest trails of Hanover College, tour the natural history museum, work with microscopes and other tools in the Rivers Institute lab, and much, much more.

Children are given the opportunity to see the beauty of South Eastern Indiana and to enrich their formal education in a unique, fun and exciting outside-the-classroom setting. This camp serves as an educational opportunity for Hanover College Education students to function as mentors for younger children and Science students to assist with lab set-up and other activities.

Summer High School Academy
During the Summer High School Academy, the Rivers Institute reaches beyond Hanover College students and accepts High School scholars to this selective program. Scholars are afforded the opportunity to gain some real-life, hands-on experience while working with college faculty. Hanover College students also become involved in this program serving as mentors, resident advisors, and teacher assistants.