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Educational Opportunities
Summer Courses
Workshops
Visiting Field Groups
Public Outreach
UNC Institute for the
Environment
Teacher Education Courses
*NEW* Climate Change & Southern
Appalachian Biodiversity
(Maymester Course - 3 credits, May 11-26 at
Western Carolina University)
Instructor: Dr. Robert Warren
Through lectures and field trips,
learn about predicted changes in global, regional, and local climate, the
drivers behind climate trends in the southern Appalachians, and observed and
projected effects on biological systems, from salamanders to spruce-fir
communities. Cost: $500 (including registration and fees); financial aid is
available. Click for
here course information; click
here for course
application.
Summer Courses
The Station offers several courses each summer at the advanced
undergraduate/graduate level dealing with the special biological features of
the Southern Appalachians and with areas of study
that are appropriate for investigation at a mountain field station.
Credit for all courses is available through either UNC-Chapel Hill or Western
Carolina University.
COURSE COSTS:
Comprehensive course fee: $400 per course, charged to all
students.
Registration fees: $80 per course, charged only to students who wish to
register for credit through either UNC-Chapel Hill or
Western Carolina
University.
Courses may be taken without credit, but preference is given to
degree-seeking students who wish to enroll for credit.
Housing: $50-100/week, depending on the
building or need for linen service.
Financial
Aid: The
Highlands Biological Foundation, Inc., offers limited financial aid,
typically a subsidy of up to one-half of the comprehensive course fee,
available to no more than one or two qualified students per course.
Contact the Station at 828-526-2602 for further information.
Summer
Course Application
2009 Course Schedule
2010 Tentative
Course Schedule
Workshops
In
addition to our regular summer courses, HBS
often schedules one-week special
workshops that are tailored for non-traditional students. These
courses provide opportunities for in-depth study of special topics of
relevance to the southern Appalachians and
are open to the general public.
Special
events and occasional one-day educator workshops
are also offered for teacher recertification credit (science CEU), or for NC
EE Criteria II credit, by the Nature
Center.
Visiting Field
Groups
 Field groups from colleges and
universities are invited to visit the Station for short periods, especially
in the fall and spring. Space for field groups is limited during the
summer months, when courses are being held and researchers are in residence.
Field groups from institutional members of the Highlands Biological
Foundation have priority over those from non-member institutions in the
assignment of research
space and housing. It is requested that supervisors of
field groups make reservations with the Office Assistant (hbs@email.wcu.edu) at least two
months in advance of the planned visit. Reservations are made on a
first-come, first-served basis, but only institutional members can make
reservations more than one year in advance.
Reservation
Form
Public Outreach Programs
 The Nature
Center, housed in the Clark
Foreman Museum
Building, is maintained by the
Station as a public educational facility that emphasizes the natural heritage
of the Southern Appalachians. It
offers a variety of summer programs on site, and outreach programs to area
schools and other groups throughout the academic year. The
Nature Center
maintains educational exhibits that interpret for the public the rich
biodiversity of the Southern Appalachians.
It is affiliated with the statewide Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative.
The Botanical
Garden, bordering Lindenwood
Lake on land originally provided by
the Foreman family, contains more than 500 labeled specimens of plants native
to the Southern Appalachians. Several
trails lead visitors to a variety of different habitats. The Garden is
open to the public throughout the year from dawn to dusk, and guided tours
are also available.
UNC Institute for
the Environment
 The Highlands
Field Site for the UNC Institute for the Environment of the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
offers a fall-semester in residence for seniors pursuing a B.S. in
Environmental Science or a B.A. in Environmental Studies or, space
permitting, other appropriate majors. This opportunity in experiential
learning involves groups of students who do holistic investigations of
environmental problems related to biodiversity and land preservation.
The program includes formal courses, seminars, field trips, individual
research projects in cooperation with mentors from local conservation
organizations, and a collaborative team project focused on examining the
ecological basis of an environmental problem relevant to the Southern Appalachians. Currently, projects are
focused on land use change and implications for loss of biodiversity on the
Highlands Plateau.
Teacher Education Workshops
The
Teacher Education Courses are co-sponsored by the Center for Mathematics and
Science Education at Western
Carolina University
and Highlands Biological Station:
Mountain Biodiversity
June 15-19
Karen Kandl (Western
Carolina University)
 We invite teachers of all levels to enroll in this
engaging study of the biogeography and biodiversity of the southern Appalachian mountains.
Mountain Biodiversity focuses on the theory and practice of
conservation biology as it relates to this unique regional environment. Topics include southern Appalachian
historical geology, regional biogeography, principles of ecology and
evolution, biodiversity assessment, and conservation biology.
Entomology for
Educators
June 22-26
Robert W. Matthews (University of Georgia)
 Entomology for Educators will cover basic insect
identification and how, where, and when to observe the most interesting
activities of common insects.
Appropriate for teachers at all levels, course subject matter will
include the diversity, adaptability, and evolutionary success of insects, the
impact of insects on human health and history, and insects’ important role in
providing essential environmental services.
Focusing on the insects of the southern Appalachians,
the course will include field trips to study insect natural history in
different habitats, hands-on activities that illustrate how insects can be
used for teaching diverse life science concepts through guided inquiry, and
evaluation of selected curricular resources that use insects.
COST AND CREDIT INFORMATION:
Course
credit: Teacher education workshops can
each be taken for 2 graduate credits or 3 CEUs.
Registration
fee: The registration fee for each workshop
is $30, with an additional $80 fee per course if taken for credit.
Housing fee: $50-$100 depending on accommodations
Questions about
course registration and fees may be directed to Ms. Sandy Ballinger or Dr.
Elaine Franklin at the WCU
Center for Mathematics
and Science Education (828)227-3318;
sballinger@email.wcu.edu or efranklin@email.wcu.edu
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