CLIMBE: Summer Science Research Program for High School Students

Attention Teachers: The CLIMBE Program at Montreat College is in search of high school participants for its Summer 2008 Water Quality and Climate Awareness Programs. These are week-long experiential programs that include backpacking / camping near Mt. Mitchell, intensive field lessons, data collection and analysis, and interactions with Ph.D. scientists. CLIMBE seeks students that will truly benefit from the hands-on / inquiry-based aspect of its programs (example: an “advanced” student who is bored in class OR a student who needs “special attention” to grasp classroom material). CLIMBE depends on teachers to identify and recommend students to its programs. If you have a student that you would like to recommend, please refer them to the CLIMBE website (www.montreat.edu/climbe) for the Student Application materials. All CLIMBE Programs are offered for a nominal fee which includes course materials, science equipment and a T-shirt (financial assistance is available for those students who qualify). Continue reading below for more information about CLIMBE.

Program Description: The Center for Learning and Investigation in Mountain Backcountry Ecosystems (CLIMBE) is an environmental training and research center for high school students who have an interest in field and laboratory science. CLIMBE has served over 200 students over the past three years of grant funding from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF), and the program has been funded by BWF for the next three years. CLIMBE offers various educational programs to students who have an interest in environmental science and those who wish to work outside of the traditional science laboratory. During the CLIMBE programs, students interact with Ph.D. scientists and participate in valid scientific research as they hike to various data collection sites and camp in the backcountry. These week-long programs are offered for a nominal fee and will run during June and July for the next three summers (2008-2010). CLIMBE is able to accommodate 60 students each summer (6 groups of 10 students); students are selected via an application process.

CLIMBE follows established scientific protocols for data collection and provides young scientists with hands-on field data collection, analysis, and reporting on basic ecological and environmental concepts at research stations in remote areas of the greater Mt. Mitchell ecosystem. Data collection procedures involve the use of state of the art technology which meets standards established by the Unites States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR). Local communities, such as Montreat College and other environmental organizations, have access to the data and research results.

The mountain watershed ecosystems of Mt. Mitchell offer unique alpine and high elevation environments in which scientific field study is needed to investigate the critical environmental factors threatening the air, water, and forests. The major objective of the scientific research is to collect physical and biological data that can be used to assess water quality and climate change along an elevation continuum, and to add to the baseline data for the greater Mt. Mitchell ecosystem. Students not only implement widely recognized field collection techniques, but they also learn to live comfortably in the remote settings they are studying.

Apply Now: Applications are currently being accepted for the Summer 2008 Water Quality and Climate Awareness Programs. For more information, visit www.montreat.edu/climbe or contact Brackin Kirkland (Program Coordinator) at bkirkland@montreat.edu or (828) 669-8012 ext 3405.