BOONE, N.C. — For three days in mid-July, 15 North Carolina high school rising juniors and seniors enrolled in the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics’ Summer Ventures in Sciences and Mathematics (SVSM) program at Appalachian State University set up camp in Edgemont — a wilderness community on the banks of Wilson Creek about 15 miles as the crow flies from Boone.
There, they sampled the river, gathering research data for an Aquatic Ecology course, one of the four science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses offered during their four-week Summer Ventures experience on Appalachian’s campus.
The wild and scenic Wilson Creek provided the perfect living laboratory. The headwaters of the creek rise from the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in Avery County, cascading south through the Globe area of the Pisgah National Forest. Ten or more rivers flow into Wilson Creek along the way and, in early June, a flood devastated the area.
Dr. Shea Tuberty, Appalachian professor and assistant chair for student affairs in the Department of Biology, taught the Aquatic Ecology course with assistance from a graduate student, an undergraduate research assistant and two regional high school instructors. And, according to Tuberty, this program was a win-win for everyone — the diverse group of high schoolers, undergraduate and graduate students, educators, professors, program facilitators and even a 7-year-old budding hydrologist.
From high school to high waters
The field experience for the students began with pitching their tents — for some a challenge in itself — and learning what Tuberty expected over the course of the three days. The students’ river research would test hypotheses and inform their conclusions about flood impacts, remediation, water quality and the resiliency of the river as measured by the health of the aquatic life and insects found there following the epic flood.
Navigating rocky footing in a fast-flowing current, the students — most from urban areas and unaccustomed to the ways of the wild — introduced electric current into the river to stun, then capture, classify, measure and return trout, bass and other fish species to the safety of the shallows. They combed the river rocks to gather and catalogue macroinvertebrates like caddisflies and water pennies, and, using a combination of sophisticated instrumentation and simple household items, they measured the depth, width and velocity of the creek, as well as the creek’s sediment and water quality.
On day two, they followed Lost Cove Creek from a small headwater stream at the mountain ridge below the Blue Ridge Parkway down to the Wilson Creek valley below to sample and test the hypotheses of the River Continuum Concept (RCC) — the physiological, geological and chemical interactions with living organisms in a natural stream environment. This experiment was one of five RCC projects the students conducted in different watersheds over the course of their studies.
Preparing the class for the rugged, 6-mile backcountry hike, Tuberty told students: “I want you to remember what the sample was this morning, this afternoon, what it’s going to be tonight — going from that tiny creek at the top to the big river, you will see how things change in a natural setting — not because people are living here, but because the river is getting bigger and more complex and productive. That is what the whole RCC is about. I want you to live that.”
Dr. Shea Tuberty, Appalachian professor and assistant chair for student affairs in the Department of Biology, standing, sets up expectations for the river research in Wilson Creek. This research was part of Appalachian’s 2019 Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics (SVSM) program. Photo by Marie Freeman
Cristina Sanders, an Appalachian biology graduate student and assistant in Dr. Shea Tuberty’s laboratory, far left, instructs students while operating an electrofisher, which introduces electric current into the river. Photo by Marie Freeman
Appalachian biology professor Dr. Shea Tuberty measures one of the fish captured. The size of the fish is an indicator of the health of the water, according to Tuberty. Photo by Marie Freeman
Michaela Abraham, a student at Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington, right, records data — a skill critical to a researcher’s toolbox. Photo by Marie Freeman
Jalyssa Hobbs, a student at Clinton High School in Clinton, is ready to capture the stunned fish for analysis. Photo by Marie Freeman
Kelly Ruff ’97, an Appalachian alumnus who teaches biology at East Burke High School in Burke County, right, and Andrew Degele, a student at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, examine insects and aquatic life — other indicators of the health of the river post-flood. Photo by Marie Freeman
Eli Fried, a student at Chapel Hill High School, gets up close and personal with his research. Here, he examines an insect found on a river rock in Wilson Creek. Photo by Marie Freeman
Some of Dr. Shea Tuberty’s tools of the trade. Photo by Marie Freeman
Professor Shea Tuberty, second from left, assists Eli Fried, a student at Chapel Hill High School, with his waders. Andrew Degele, far right, a student at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, and Salil Pai, a student in the Early College at Guilford Community College, observe. Photo by Marie Freeman
Caddisfly and dragonfly larvae collected from the river. Photo by Marie Freeman
A Sumer Ventures student examines some of the specimens gathered at Wilson Creek, which were taken to Dr. Shea Tuberty’s Appalachian State University campus laboratory for documentation and labeling. Photo by Marie Freeman
The temporary campsite of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics’ Summer Ventures program in Edgemont. Photo by Marie Freeman
Serious students, serious research
The Summer Ventures program, also offered at East Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and UNC Charlotte, is highly competitive — those who apply are in the top 5% of their high school class and less than 20% were accepted into the 2019 program.
Thousands of students have participated over the program’s 35 years, and according to Tuberty, “These incredibly talented students will be the environmental leaders of tomorrow. They are enthusiastic, resourceful and hardworking. They volunteer to give up a month of their summer vacation and accept that they will be swamped with new information, physically and mentally challenged, and intentionally taken to places outside their comfort zones.”
In addition to the fieldwork at Wilson Creek and in the upper South Fork New River subbasins surrounding Boone, the class explored the human impact on the RCC: They conducted an assessment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund’s restoration efforts at Ore Knob Copper Mine in Ashe County, which includes area streams affected by mining operations from the 1850s to 1962. The site was placed on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) in 2009 because of contaminated surface water, groundwater, sediment and soil.
The students were also challenged in three other STEM courses taught by Appalachian faculty and research teams: Biomedical Science, Exploratory Data Analysis, and Human Physiology in Exercise Science.
At the onset of each course, students developed a research hypothesis. They conducted field and laboratory research, documenting results. Using the collected data to test the hypotheses, they completed a research paper and presented their findings at the culminating research symposium.
But learning was not limited to the program’s students — Summer Ventures afforded a number of scholars and lifelong learners robust educational opportunities.
Lifelong learners
Tuberty said Summer Ventures also benefits Appalachian and its students. “This type of collaboration,” he said, “provides my graduate students and departments across campus with invaluable research opportunities.”
Meet some of the program’s lifelong learners:
Lori Tyler, the self-proclaimed poster child of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics’ Summer Ventures program. Tyler was a Summer Ventures scholar and now directs the program at Appalachian State University. She is writing her doctoral thesis on the program’s impact in North Carolina. Photo by Marie Freeman
Doctoral candidate, program director
Cristina Sanders, an Appalachian biology graduate student and assistant in Dr. Shea Tuberty’s laboratory, and her son perform research in Wilson Creek. Photo by Marie Freeman
Graduate student, lab assistant and mom
Summer Ventures instructors Scott Taylor, a retired high school teacher, left, and Kelly Ruff ’97, an Appalachian alumnus and biology teacher at East Burke High School in Burke County. Photo by Marie Freeman
High school instructors
Megan Aeschleman is a senior enrolled in Appalachian's Accelerated Admission program, through which she is simultaneously earning her B.S. in middle grades education and her master's in reading education. She was a program facilitator for Appalachian's 2019 Summer Ventures program. Photo submitted
Undergraduate and resident advisor
Students in Appalachian’s 2019 Summer Ventures program carry research equipment and other supplies needed for their experience at Wilson Creek in Edgemont. Photo by Marie Freeman
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Appalachian biology professor Dr. Shea Tuberty and former FEMA Administrator Brock Long discuss how developing a culture of preparedness fosters resiliency
About the Department of Biology
The Department of Biology is a community of teacher-scholars, with faculty representing the full breadth of biological specializations — from molecular genetics to landscape/ecosystem ecology. The department seeks to produce graduates with sound scientific knowledge, the skills to create new knowledge, and the excitement and appreciation of scientific discovery. Learn more at https://biology.appstate.edu.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
