UNC CHAPEL HILL OUTER BANKS FIELD SITE STUDENTS PRESENT CAPSTONE RESEARCH PROJECT ON DECEMBER 15, 2016

The eleven UNC-Chapel Hill students who have been studying and conducting research at the Outer Banks Field Site (OBXFS) since August and will present their findings at a public Capstone presentation at 2 pm on December 15, 2016 in room 262 at the UNC Coastal Studies Institute (850 Hwy 345, Wanchese, NC). The presentation of the students’ semester-long research project on the landscape for predators on the Albemarle Pamlico Peninsula will be approximately ninety minutes long, including time for questions and discussion.  In past years, the students in this program have enjoyed and been energized by the chance to talk with an outer banks audience, and this year’s group hopes to see many of you at UNC CSI on December 15.

 The students will report on their qualitative interview-based research and geospatial analysis of habitat for predators, including black bears, red wolves, and coyotes, on the Albemarle Pamlico Peninsula. The students’ research involved documenting and understanding local perceptions of the peninsula’s landscape and the black bears, red wolves, and coyotes it is home to through qualitative interviewing. 

OBXFS students will also present their geospatial research into large predator habitat. They collected and analyzed data from several sources, including satellite data and the Carolina Vegetation survey, to characterize landscapes and patterns of human use in five northeastern North Carolina counties.  They then combined this information with ecological research findings to map habitat quality for black bears and red wolves.

The OBXFS is a UNC-Chapel Hill fall semester program for undergraduate students from across the UNC system and beyond, hosted by the UNC Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese. Students at the site take classes in coastal resource economics, coastal law and policy, and coastal ecology, take part in a group research project (the Capstone), and do an internship project with community partners or UNC CSI faculty. The course work is place-based and the student experience is greatly enhanced by interactions with the community, facilitated by our Community Advisory Board and other individuals and groups in Northeastern North Carolina. For more information about the OBXFS and academic programs offered at UNC CSI, please visit our webpage: http://coastalstudiesinstitute.org/education/.

Photo caption: The students, faculty and staff of the 2016 Outer Banks Field Site.