Rivers support remarkable biodiversity and are vital to society, but they are among the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Training the next generation of river scholars and students is vital to the waterways’ protection and management, but working and teaching on rivers requires unique risk management knowledge and skills.

This summer, Virginia Commonwealth University continued its national leadership on the issue by hosting, at the VCU Rice Rivers Center, an intensive weeklong workshop to expand safe and effective river field education. The gathering in late July and early August was organized by the River Field Studies Network, which is training the next generation of river scholars and stewards through immersive, hands-on educational experiences.

“This workshop is a prime example of how VCU is positioned to become a regional and even national hub for building field safety training capacity,” said James Vonesh, Ph.D., an environmental studies professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability. He is also the primary investigator for the network, which operates under a grant from the National Science Foundation to support biology education.

Welcomed by VCU and Rice Rivers Center faculty and summer interns, educators from eight states – Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, Oklahoma and Nevada – joined students ranging from undergraduate to post-doc status at the recent workshop, with up to 22 participants on the busiest day.

The schedule offered a range of certifications and hands-on skills. The VCU Outdoor Adventure Program led a session on team-building and group facilitation, and other segments centered, wilderness first aid, CPR, swift-water safety. Guest faculty expert Melissa Cronin, Ph.D., from FieldFutures led a workshop on preventing harassment and assault in field settings, and University of Florida faculty Anita Marshall, Ph.D., of the GeoSPACE Accessible Planetary Geology Field Course led a workshop using technology to make field labs accessible to students with varying physical abilities.

The River Field Studies Network was created by university professors involved in coordinating their schools’ participation in the River Studies and Leadership Certificate program, an initiative of the River Management Society. They recognized that while field studies are critical for sparking passion and careers in river management and stewardship, they are also logistically difficult and carry inherent risks.

The recent VCU workshop was a direct response to this dual challenge, providing instructors with risk management and safety skills to lead effective courses. Vonesh said the Rice Rivers Center was an ideal location, offering proximity to diverse environments along the James River as well as lodging and facilities that included flexible spaces inside educational and research buildings.

“These combined factors solidify the Rice Rivers Center as an excellent hub for these essential trainings,” he said, noting that such sessions build not just skills but professional collaboration that advances field education.

Vonesh added that in addition to OAP and its field safety expertise, VCU’s Office of Occupational Health and Safety is emerging as a key partner by developing new protocols and resources to support field research and education.

“When combined with the academic leadership of the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability and the wonderful resources of the Rice Rivers Center, VCU has the foundation to become a hub for field safety excellence,” he said. “We view this workshop as an important step in that direction, and we are excited about VCU’s potential to grow as a leader in this critical area.”