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University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment Highlands Field Site
The UNC Institute for the Environment (formerly the Carolina Environmental Program) of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, offers a fall semester-in-residence for seniors in Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, or other science majors. The Highlands Biological Station has been the mountain field site of the Carolina Environmental Program since 2001, and offers a unique experience for students interested in biodiversity and conservation issues. The Highlands region is an ideal “natural laboratory” in which to learn about the historical and ecological processes that shape the biogeography of the rich southern Appalachian biota, and to explore the interplay of land use pressures and conservation concerns facing the region.
Coursework
Coursework is focused on applied study of the southern Appalachian environment: Biogeography, Biodiversity, and Conservation Biology introduces students to facets of regional biodiversity within the framework of biogeography theory and principles. This course takes a broad approach to understanding the region’s spectacular biodiversity through a series of modular units that focus on different organismal groups. Lectures are complemented by field excursions with experienced entomologists, botanists, ornithologists, vertebrate biologists, and geologists, helping students to become knowledgeable natural historians of the mountain forests. Finally, students investigate principles of conservation biology to put their knowledge of the local environment into a global context. Landscape Analysis is an intensive study of GIS and other methods of landscape-level analysis (e.g. remote sensing, aerial photography), an important tool for conservation studies. This course requires basic (introductory-level) knowledge of GIS principles and applications. The seminar Cultural History and Land Use is an excursion- and discussion-based course in which we trace the history of the southern Appalachians from the pre-contact era to the modern day, helping students to understand the complex series of events that has brought us to the current biodiversity crisis in the southern mountain region. Illuminating readings, guest speakers, and field trips combine to paint the historical picture of the mountain landscape around us. Student Research and the Capstone Project
Faculty The main course instructors are HBS Executive Director Dr. James T. Costa and Associate Director Dr. Anya E. Hinkle. Costa received his Ph.D from the University of Georgia, and is currently the H. F. and Katherine P. Robinson Professor of Biology at Western Carolina University. He has taught courses in genetics, biogeography, evolution, and insect behavior. Costa’s research is focused on insect behavior and ecology; he is the author of The Other Insect Societies, published by Harvard University Press in 2006. Hinkle received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in archaeoethnobotany of Polynesian flora. She is broadly trained in plant systematics, ecology, and evolution. Guest instructors are experts from regional colleges, universities, and conservation agencies. Timing, Cost, and Credit Hours This program is only offered in the fall academic semester, and gives preference to rising UNC-Chapel Hill seniors. The semester at HBS follows the same schedule as the University. It is expected that students will complete all the research and writing for their internship and Capstone project before the end of the semester. Cost for the program at HBS is approximately $5,371. Students will receive 17 hours of academic credit. Applications are due in the UNC-Chapel Hill Study Abroad Office in the College of Arts and Sciences by February.
For more information, contact: UNC Institute for the Environment at 919-966-9922 http://www.ie.unc.edu/ or Highlands Biological Station (HBS) at 828-526-2602 hbs@email.wcu.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Student Research Archives: 2004 Internship Research Report Part A 2004 Internship Research Report Part B 2006 Internship Research Reports 2006 Capstone Report (Wright Preserve) 2007 Internship Research and Capstone Reports ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Students live in a restored home on the Station grounds. The
campus is well equipped for scientific investigations and education,
with classroom and lab space, a fully equipped computer lab, and a
library. Students spend the semester becoming intimately familiar with
the issues of the Highlands region, much of which lies within the Nantahala National Forest. Coursework is focused on mountain
biodiversity and biogeography, theoretical and applied methods for the
study of mountain ecology and conservation, and the social, political,
and ecological history of land use in the southern Appalachians. The
program also features opportunities for individual and group field
research in cooperation with mentors from local conservation
organizations. The program takes advantage of its proximity to the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Cherokee Indian reservation,
the Blue Ridge Parkway, and other areas of regional interest to
experience first-hand the complexities of the environmental issues of
the southern mountains.
In
keeping with the applied and integrative approach of field site courses,
each student conducts 