Lessons learned from an outdoor adventure lab
Photo by Grace Atkinson, undergraduate student in Sustainability, minor in Parks and Protected Area Management
On Sept. 12, 2025, 14 ASU students from a variety of backgrounds embarked on an outdoor adventure together with Steve Sassaman, clinical assistant professor, and Rebecca Barry, associate teaching professor, from the School of Community Resources and Development.
The students enrolled in a special topics outdoor adventure lab designed to teach entry-level camping experiences focused on basic skills such as setting up a tent, cooking with a propane camp stove, and basic environmental ethics. Students and faculty camped for two nights at Mather Campground, located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Friday night, students arrived at the campsite and began their first learning and collaboration adventure by setting up new gear purchased through a Watts College Principled Innovation Grant aimed to promote student development through self-reflection, working with others and learning through experiences. Principled Innovation is ASU’s newest design aspiration.
In preparation for the adventure lab, students were assigned cook groups with whom they planned a menu for their weekend. After a brief overview of basic camp cooking instructions, students got busy preparing and cooking their first campsite meal while participating in a reflection activity.
Sean Shu Heng, an international student, shared that cooking together was especially meaningful as he got an opportunity to cook dinner with his group and introduce them to a new dish that they had never tried before. Sean said, “It was a great opportunity to meet people and build meaningful connections over a shared meal.” After dinner cleanup was complete, campers got to experience a campfire and the dark skies.
As campers woke with the sun on Saturday, they busied themselves tidying their campsite and making breakfast before setting out to explore the Grand Canyon National Park. As a group, students and faculty attended a ranger talk about park management strategies using the RAD framework (Resist, Accept, Direct) and how this process has been used in the park to achieve sustainability goals, including rebuilding the California Condor population.
Students spent the remainder of Saturday on their own adventures within the park before returning to the campsite for dinner. Some students enjoyed a sunset view from Mather Point, while others attended an astronomy lecture and stargazing experience with Laura-May Abron, Grand Canyon’s Astronomer in Residence. Grace, one of the students participating in the course, shared that her most powerful moment was during the astronomy talk when the astronomer shared they were seeing one of the darkest skies in the United States. She said, “Seeing the visual of the light pollution from Las Vegas near the horizon was also quite powerful to me, and learning about Flagstaff's dark sky initiatives made me resolute that cities don't have to be emitting as much light pollution as they are currently.”
On Sunday morning, Dr. Sassaman and Dr. Barry facilitated a formal closing activity during which students reflected on their overall experience of their time in the park. As one final lesson, students learned proper campsite cleanup procedures to ensure the campground and nature was left better than found.
Though the course learning outcomes focused on technical camping skills, many of the students expressed a deepened connection to their peers, particularly those who they would not have met otherwise. Students also identified personal growth as they discussed their shared challenges and perceived pressures of performing for their group. Though it may not be a straightforward connection that an engineering student can benefit from a camping class, the problem-solving, communication and teamwork that emerge as a result of a shared outdoor experience contribute greatly to a student's ability to thrive not just in their careers, but in their life as a whole.