Twelve students from UNC-Chapel Hill are participating in the Outer Banks Field Site, a multi-disciplinary program that takes place at the Coastal Studies Institute. The program consists of three lecture-based classes plus experiential education through field trips, a capstone research project and an internship. Students divide their time throughout the weekdays among various classes and activities that provide a broad understanding of the environmental systems located along the Outer and Inner Banks as well as their relations to people.

For the internship, students are matched with a business, town government or non-profit organization that matches their interest within the field of environmental studies/science. Two of the students from the fall 2019 cohort are interning with the Northeast office of the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Hayley Kaplan

Hayley Kaplan is working with Leslie Vegas on the Ocean Friendly Establishments project and the N.C. Oyster Trail. She will be writing different newsletters on sustainability topics while also completing infographics pertaining to the different types of plastics. Additionally, she will be involved in the process of delivering Ocean Friendly Establishment certificates as well as educating different restaurants and businesses on the program. She is excited to learn more about both programs and how they influence the coastal environment.

Claire Bradley

Claire Bradley is working with Michael Flynn to investigate opportunities and challenges towards the future of beneficial use of dredge material (BUDM)l as a means for ecosystem based management of inlets and waterways.  She will review current Federal and State dredging policies as well as documents, reports, and scientific literature associated with projects that incorporated BUDM practices. The final objective of the internship is to draft a paper and prepare a presentation that identifies possible locations for BUDM in Dare County.  She is looking forward to learning more about this important issue and its direct impact throughout the Outer Banks.