Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center

Teacher Workshops	Researcher Information Pages
About The Purchase	Field Trips

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Student researchers assist with beetle inventory.

Don McGowan Photo

About the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at The Purchase

Located at 4,900 feet (1,494 m) in Haywood County on the North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center is part of a network of what will be 32 research learning centers supporting research and education about science in our national parks.

The mission of the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center is to increase the amount and effectiveness of research in the Appalachian highlands network parks that meet management needs while increasing public access to and understanding and appreciation of these research activities.

Access to the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center is by reservation only. Contact the education coordinator to inquire.

Parks of the Appalachian Highlands Network:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Big South Fork NRRA
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Obed Wild and Scenic River

 

Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob

NPS Photo/Susan Sachs

Renovations Complete

The Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center offers lodging for 10 researchers; a 50-person meeting room; kitchen, bath, and laundry facilities; and internet hookups. Additionally, a small wet lab and five tent platforms are available for larger groups. Many thanks to Smokies Life and Friends of the Smokies for funding renovations to the facility.

High School Intern Program

Local high school students in Tennessee and North Carolina can apply to work for six weeks during the summer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The National Park Service's Youth Partnership Program (YPP) is supporting intern stipends. Interns will assist University scientists and park staff with field research and education projects throughout the summer. Interns will have to live within commuting distance of the park since there is no housing available.

 

Teacher Enrichment Seminars Continue with Funding from North Carolina Department of Transportation and Friends of the Smokies

Part of a multi-year air pollution mitigation grant to the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center is being used to train teachers in inquiry-based teaching techniques related to issues from airborne pollutants to resources in the Smokies and our region. Workshops will be held throughout the Smokies in the next several years that will allow teachers to train from park professionals and research scientists on impacts to salamanders, snails, plants, forest ecosystems, lichens, and other resources.

Citizen Science Best Practices Manual Published

We are proud to announce that the "Directors Guide to Best Practices on Citizen Science" was recently published through the Association of Nature Center Administrators. This monograph is an outgrowth of a 2003 Citizen Science Forum held at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. It is a collective effort from a variety of citizen science program managers highlighting how to plan and implement a citizen science program. The manual is available for purchase through the Association of Nature Center Administrators website.