Don McGowan photo

Student researchers assist with Beetle inventory.

About the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob
  
Located at 5000 feet 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 at Purchase Knob 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. 

Read an article about the AHSLC published in the Smoky Mountain News

The parks of the Appalachian Highlands Network are:

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

NPS photo by Susan Sachs

Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob

Renovations Complete!

Appalachian Highlands Science Journal, Issue 4, Now Available

The 12 page collection of articles focuses on scientific research resulting from the efforts of Natural Resource Challenge projects in the Appalachian Highlands Monitoring Network. This includes results from the Inventory and Monitoring team, the Exotic Plant Managment Team, the Southern Appalachian CESU (Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit) and the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center.

To view the new Issue 4, click here.
To view Issue 3 of the journal, click here.
To view Issue 2 of the journal, click here.
To view Issue 1 of the journal, click here.

High School Intern Program Continues with New Grant Funds

Toyota has awarded Friends of the Smokies a $1,000,000 grant to support science education programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Part of these funds will be used to support hiring high school interns in the summer at various locations in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Additionally, the National Park Service's Youth Partnership Program (YPP) is supporting interns. Interns will assist University scientists and park staff with field research and education projects throughout the summer. If you are a high school student, age 16 or older, and are interested in these internships, please contact the Education Coordinator . Interns will have to live within commuting distance of the park since there is no housing available. Recruitment in local high schools will occur during the month of February, 2011.

Hands on History Website & Database Available for Teachers

NPS Archives

School children in the Smokies.

A new website that posts archival materials from the archives at three national park sites is now on-line. Photos of people, artifacts and interviews for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Obed Wild and Scenic River and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation are compiled in the database. Information from cemetaries at these sites is also available. The website features classroom activities to guide a teacher in how to use the information. Click here to go to the Hands on History website.

Go Behind the Scenes With Researchers!
We offer two virtual ways for you to learn about on-going research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can view our video podcasts or view the online science series Dispatches From the Field.

Teacher Enrichment Seminars Continue with Funding from Toyota and Friends of the Smokies.

Part of the $1,000,000 science education grant from Toyota to the Smokies via Friends of the Smokies will be used to train teachers in inquiry-based teaching techniques. Workshops will be held throughout the Smokies in the next several years that will allow teachers to train from park professionals and research scientists. For a complete list of seminars this year, see our Teacher Workshop page.

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 impliment a citizen science program.  The manual is available for $12 through the Association of Nature Center Administrators website.