Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science Research Facilities
Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University
Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a leading natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science. Research at the Academy is comprised of two active science groups: The Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution that cares for and studies over 18 million specimens of plants and animals and conducts research in systematics, ecology, evolution, and paleontology and the Patrick Center for Environmental Research that has been dedicated to understanding, protecting, and restoring the health of watersheds since 1947. Learn more at the Academy of Natural Sciences' website.
Barnegat Bay Coastal Field Station
Owned by NJDEP, Division of Fish and Wildlife, and managed by the non-profit, Natural Resource Education Foundation of New Jersey, this field station on Barnegat Bay in Waretown, NJ is located on 194 acres of diverse coastal habitat that includes a maritime forest, tidal creek, salt marsh, freshwater pond, brackish impoundment, and bayshore environments. The site offers hands-on research opportunities in coastal geology, barrier island morphology, oceanography and sedimentology. The department’s research vessels provide access to back-bay and near-shore marine environments. The facility includes a lodge, two classrooms/meeting rooms, dining hall, dormitories and rustic cabins.
The Pre-Term Field Experience for incoming BEES freshmen, as well as other department events, is held at Barnegat Bay Field Station. The facility may also serve as a base for excursions into the Pine Barrens, a heavily forested area containing a number of interesting deposits related to the last glacial period. Learn more about the field station at the Natural Resource Education Foundation website.
Lacawac Sanctuary is a 545-acre nature preserve, ecological field research station and public environmental education facility located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Home to the pristine Lake Lacawac—a 52-acre National Natural Landmark and one of the southernmost glacial lakes in the hemisphere—the sanctuary boasts more than 45 years of aquatic research and data compilation since its foundation in 1966. The sanctuary encompasses multiple bodies of water for comparative studies and also features the Wallenpaupack Ledges and Partner Ridge, six public hiking trails, deer enclosure plots, a native plants demonstration garden and natural boreal bog. Learn more at the Lacawac Sanctuary & Field Station website.
Red Hill Fossil Site and other Appalachian locales
The Red Hill fossil site in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, is home to Late Devonian sedimentary rocks that preserve a rich fossil flora and fauna. Of particular importance are fossil species, studied by Ted Daeschler, PhD, representing a critical transition between fish and tetrapods (land animals). This site offers opportunities for studying vertebrate paleontology, stratigraphy and sedimentology, and provides students with a window into an important moment in the history of life on Earth.
Hundreds of rock outcrops exist in the Coastal Plain and Appalachians, all within a four-hour drive of campus. These rocks represent more than 500 billion years of geological time and preserve depositional environments that include marine, coastal and terrestrial settings. Many geoscience courses include field trips where students study aspects of paleontology, sedimentology, stratigraphy and structural geology.
APPLY FOR A DEGREE IN THE BIODIVERSITY, EARTH & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Apply for a degree in environmental science, geoscience or environmental studies and sustainability. Visit campus to get firsthand information about a Drexel education, or contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org.