Teaching Facilities
All institutions of higher education are welcome to use Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill for diverse, off-campus instructional activities.
Course field trips can take advantage of our lecture rooms and teaching lab space. Sleeping and dining facilities can serve residential field courses for up to 20 students.
Contact the KSR Director for information on availability, logistics and fees.
Teaching at KSR
Dr. Shannon McCauley, The University of Toronto, Department of BiologyKSR’s facilities, access to natural habitats, and support have been instrumental to research that integrates experimental and comparative approaches. The experiments we’ve been able to conduct at KSR have ranged from small scale lab experiments to landscape level experiments that would simply be impossible without KSR. By bridging these scales we’ve been able to conduct research that provides mechanistic insights into broad scale natural patterns. It’s also been a place for students to learn, grow as scientists, and have fun with others who share their interests in the natural world.
Dr. Kenneth Welch, The University of Toronto, Department of BiologyKSR has been an ideal playground in which to refine and develop our research, and expose our students and trainees to the wonderful, wild world just outside their homes. KSR has been an optimal place to develop and test our field research on ruby-throated hummingbirds. Within the safe and secluded research grounds, I and multiple graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate researchers have been able to develop novel tracking technologies for use on these tiniest of birds.
Dr. Rosalind Murray, The University of Toronto, Department of BiologyThe work myself and my students have done has resulted in publications that wouldn’t have been possible without KSR. As a student, post-doc, and faculty member, KSR has continually provided a wonderful space to do meaningful research in an inclusive, caring, and helpful environment.
Graduate/Undergraduate Research at KSR
Dr. Sophie Breitbart, PhD from the University of Toronto, Mississauga CampusI spent four wonderful summers at KSR conducting an experiment with ~1000 milkweed plants. Throughout my time there, the KSR staff went above and beyond to ensure the success of my research. Also, the local wildlife is consistently marvelous. There’s nothing better than counting flowers while a bobolink sings nearby!
Eric Etzler, PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, Mississauga CampusIt was really easy working at KSR. I completed part of my Master’s thesis there collecting insects and never had issues getting access to areas to fields or lab space to do dissections.
Julia Boyle, PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, St. George CampusGetting to do fieldwork at KSR has truly been a highlight of my PhD! Living at the field station immersed me in the ecological and evolutionary questions I was asking, and I was provided the resources and support to conduct both short- and long-term experiments on plants and their microbiomes that I couldn’t have completed in a greenhouse.
Learn in the field
KSR hosts undergraduate field courses for budding researchers to gain invaluable skills outside of the classroom.
(EEB405 – University of Toronto)
Physical Geography
(GGR390 – University of Toronto)
Sustainable Forestry
(FOR301 – University of Toronto)
(GESC451 – Wilfrid Laurier University)
(EEB380 – University of Toronto)
(FOR301 – University of Toronto)
(AER406 – University of Toronto)
(GGR205 – University of Toronto)