Some students from Minneapolis have stopped in the Quad Cities while they spend a semester on the river. The class from Augsburg College began a canoe trip down the Mississippi River last month, and will end in December at the Gulf of Mexico.
Environmental studies professor, Joe Underhill, says he started using the river as a classroom several years ago, and eventually decided it could last a whole semester. And his students are majoring, not just in science, but also in English, art, and political science.
Underhill says he's learned that the Mississippi River is constantly changing.
The group includes 12 students, two teaching assistants, and two faculty members. They arrived in the Quad Cities Tuesday, and after spending several days touring the area with students and faculty from Augustana College, will resume paddling Friday.
Because of limited time, Dr. Underhill says the group will only paddle about 800 miles, or one-third, of the river's total length.
You can learn more about the trip, including photographs, at http://www.augsburg.edu/river/
