About Us
Our Story
Over twenty-five years ago, founder and lead instructor, Scott Ramsey, came to Haines, Alaska as the Most Outstanding Business Graduate from Virginia Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the College of William and Mary. With a passion for teaching and an inspiration for the wonders of nature, Scott headed north seeking field experience. He was not expecting to be so overwhelmed by the profound lessons offered by the living classroom of Alaska.
Scott, wife Mandy, and daughter Lily Jo Ramsey
For the next several decades, Ramsey worked in the field as an environmental educator, wilderness guide, and instructor, reinforcing the wisdom of nature’s living textbook.
Obtaining a doctorate in Sustainability Education from Prescott College as well as living off the grid in a home he built with his wife, informed and reinforced the wisdom of educating for a more sustainable future. Inspiration to share these insights were the seeds of the Alaska Outdoor Science School.
The only source of knowledge is experience. ~ Albert Einstein
Today, AOSS brings students from all over to experience the wisdom of nature. Haines, Alaska serves as the perfect setting, because it offers students tangible, practical examples of natural phenomena that in the traditional classroom are only theoretical concepts. For example, there is no better way to learn about glaciers than to walk on one and experience their unique characteristics. Holding ice from a melting glacier provides a completely different connection to a changing climate.
AOSS student, Austin Edmonds holds a chunk of ice from the melting Mendenhall Glacier.
The AOSS Experience
We offer unique programming that combines traditional lectures with experiential learning opportunities to make learning more meaningful. To better understand and see what the AOSS Experience is about, check out this 4-minute documentary, by filmmaker Wes Overvold