Aaron Wibberley can not get enough of the beautiful sunsets at Ohio State’s remote island campus.

Wibberley, a junior in biology, is one of the many students taking summer classes at OSU’s Stone Laboratory island campus, located on Lake Erie’s Gibraltar Island in Put-in-Bay harbor.

Stone Lab has been in operation on this six-acre island since 1895, said Jill Jentes, associate director for Stone Lab.

Jentes said since 1925, Stone Lab has been a university facility for teaching classes and conducting research.

Stone Lab offers 30 courses ranging in variety from herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) and entomology (the study of insects), to oceanography and classes involving SCUBA diving during the summer months.

Jentes said although most students are from OSU or Ohio colleges, there are a few students who come from out of state.

Classes at Stone Lab are not exactly the kind of classes one could find on OSU’s main campus.

Adrea Lovejoy, a former professor of entomology at Stone Lab, said she loved the smaller atmosphere and hands on experience of the classes.

“Everyday we got on a boat and went around the islands on Lake Erie,” Lovejoy said. “Seeing a beach environment on one island, glacial groves and wetlands on another all in the same day was awesome.”

Lovejoy said while on a traditional college campus, students can not go outside to learn about the environment.

“It’s just impossible to get that kind of dead-on learning,” she said.

Students attending Stone Lab have many choices regarding what kind of classes to attend and how long they wish to be on the island, Jentes said.

Stone Lab offers courses ranging from one week to 10 weeks where students can receive three to five credit hours for each class.

Jentes said students get to live on the island with their professors creating a more personal relationship they might not get at a large campus.

Wibberley arrived at Stone Lab June 19 and will be there until Aug. 18; receiving 11 credit hours and research credit for his Research Experience for Undergraduates Scholarship Program.

“I believe this is a phenomenally solid program with authentic research opportunities,” Wibberley said. “The atmosphere is great and you get to form great relationships with teachers and students.”

Wibberley is not only gaining experience in and outside the classroom, but he has had the opportunity to work side-by-side with Kristin Stanford – also known as the Snake Lady.

Stanford is somewhat of a celebrity on and off the island. She has been on the television show “Dirty Jobs,” which aired on the Discovery Channel.

“She is awesome,” Wibberley said. “She’s so enthusiastic, and always excited to do research; she’s exactly how she was on TV.”

Wibberley said he loves the variety the island campus offers every day. He said he went SCUBA diving Tuesday night where he encounterd some of the snakes he was studying.

“It was cool because supposedly this is the first time this type of snake has been observed foraging at night,” Wibberley said.

Jentes said experiences like Wibberley’s are what keep students coming back for more.

Both Lovejoy and Wibberley said their time at Stone Lab will not be a one time stint.

Anthony Geraci can be reached at [email protected].