‘Swimterns’ spent summer in rivers and labs
The Molchanov scholars program funded the students’ environmentally focused internships.
At UNC-Chapel Hill, our work goes beyond the classroom. Students and faculty alike are stepping into the real world to conduct important environmental research, work on meaningful projects and make breakthroughs to improve our state, nation and world.
Keep scrolling to explore how Tar Heels are exploring real-world issues through a combination of coursework, trips, research projects and internships with local organizations.
The Molchanov scholars program funded the students’ environmentally focused internships.
City and regional planning scholar James P. Collins talked to residents about chronic coastal flooding.
With a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Alexander Smith studied how the bugs affected animal feeding habits.
Savannah Ryburn’s humane diet analysis technique conserves critically endangered scalloped hammerheads.
Students at UNC Outer Banks Field Site research how artificial light at night affects wildlife.
Doctoral student Claire Johnson describes her studies of the role of sargassum algae in nitrogen production.
Through the UNC Institute for the Environment — in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences’ Environment, Ecology and Energy Program and the Study Abroad Office — Carolina offers five unique field sites where Tar Heels live, study and conduct research.
Working with the Sustainable Triangle Field Site, they gather data to provide potential solutions to hotspots.
Outer Banks Field Site director Lindsay Dubbs conducts research to better understand and protect marine ecosystems.
Molly Bost '13, '16 (MS), '22 (Ph.D.) has always known she wanted to be an environmental scientist. At Carolina, the three-time Tar Heel gained the knowledge and experience to put her passion for North Carolina's coast into action.
Two undergraduates search for salamanders in western North Carolina — and find so much more.
Amanda DelVecchia's lab measures greenhouse gas emissions in freshwater sites to gauge their impact.
The first satellite to measure Earth’s surface water launched in 2022, and Tamlin Pavelsky's team is verifying its data.
Three Carolina faculty members share the ways they keep our water healthy and clean, preserve marine life and work toward a sustainable future.
Since 1987, Rick Luettich has been building systems to protect the coast from environmental hazards and extreme weather events.