A critical component of our semester programs is the Directed Research project.  These projects are guided by the center's research objectives and play a critical role in addressing the environmental concerns identified by local community members. Meanwhile, students are introduced to the real-world challenges of conservation-based field research. Upon finishing the program, many students have the opportunity to present their research at national and international conferences. Here are a few recent presentations:

Roger Shaw Australia Spring '07 presented a poster at Ecological Society of America in Milwaukee, WI in August 2008. This research looked at four plant functional traits related to drought resistance: leaf area, leaf angle, stem density, and wood density (WD), and leaf phenology. Results of the study suggest that deciduous species are able to survive with only one drought resistant trait due to the flexibility that deciduousness allows, while evergreen species have developed multiple drought tolerant traits in order to survive.

Eric Braden and Jennifer Goodwillie Australia Spring'07 presented a poster at Ecological Society of America in Milwaukee, WI in August 2008. This study examined the effects of a severe frost that occurred in June and July of 2007 on restoration plots of riparian rainforest seedlings in North Queensland, Australia.

Kenneth Jones TCI Fall ‘07 presented a poster at the North Carolina Collegiate Academy of Science in Greensboro, NC in March 2008. This work focused on the number and diversity of species using blowouts (natural or artificial erosion of patches of seagrass) as habitats, looking specifically at Nassau groupers which are commercially extinct in many areas of the world.

Laura Chartier Mexico Fall ‘04 presented a poster at the Student Conference on Conservation Science in Cambridge, U.K. in March 2008. Her research indicated that human consumption remains a threat to sea turtles, especially since many turtles are extracted and eaten before they reach reproductive size. Also, the data also suggested that environmental education may have the potential to reduce consumption rates over time.

Dan Gurdak Australia Spring ‘06 presented a poster at the Student Conference on Conservation Science in Cambridge, U.K. in March 2008. With his directed research team, he assessed whether patch-scale factors influenced levels of disturbance to fragments of critically endangered 'Mabi' rainforest in north Queensland following the destruction caused by Cyclone Larry on March 20, 2006. 

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