Semester Experience at the Coast: An Educational Adventure

It’s February and the blue-green water of the ocean is sparkling, rising, curling into foaming waves, crashing on the shore where a group is receiving instructions on performing a two-dimensional beach profile and they’re collecting data and learning to use the poles and meter stick and pre-measured string and they’re moving from dune to waterline, recording the elevation incrementally, and after some calculating and plotting they successfully complete one transect, and they take a moment to observe the wide expanse of sea, and examine the soft, white sand beneath their feet, and look up at the bluest of skies dotted with white puffs of clouds, and feel the crispness of the wind that seems to be blowing from all directions, and take in big gulps of tangy salt air. They are students enrolled in ECU’s Undergraduate Semester Experience at the Coast. This is their classroom.

The Undergraduate Semester Experience at the Coast is a structured residential program located on ECU’s Outer Banks Campus for students with an interest in coastal studies. This semester-long program provides students interested in coastal resources, science, and management to immerse themselves in an environment where courses are hands-on with field and lab-based experiences.

The inaugural class of students gathered in January, launching the Spring 2020 Semester Experience at the Coast, and enthusiastically embraced the classroom-coastal connection.

Student Marco Agostini was a big fan of spending time on the beach. “Our first field trip was a day trip to Jennette’s Pier, where each professor taught a different subject based on what they taught us in class. We got to do beach profiling, we got to actually see coastal processes and how they affect a beach, we did CTD casts to measure water density off the pier, and we learned about taking Terrestrial Laser Scanner images of the beach, as well as the fishing culture around the pier.”

Unless students and faculty are out and about exploring the Outer Banks, classes are held on ECU’s Outer Banks Campus in the Coastal Studies Institute facility. The campus is situated in a remarkable coastal setting surrounded by diverse freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems.

“The campus was fantastic,” says Marco, “with lots of resources and opportunities for education, networking, and research, not to mention in a beautiful location.”

Courses offered in the Semester Experience at the Coast span a variety of disciplines in the natural, social, and engineering sciences. Course titles include: “Remote Sensing of the Environment,” “Survey of Coastal and Marine Resources,” and “Environmental Anthropology.” The courses are taught by faculty who have performed meaningful and exciting research all over the world, enabling them to share real-life experiences and knowledge.

 Dr. Kimberly Rogers, Assistant Professor, has performed interdisciplinary research regarding sediment dynamics on the river deltas of Southeast Asia. She teaches “Bays and Beaches Around the World: Geological Form and Function”. “One of my course objectives was to train students on how to identify ‘clues’ observed in the environment and how to use those as evidence for the processes working to shape those environments. Classes would often begin with students looking at photographs or a Google Earth image of a coastal environment located somewhere in the world, ranging from the barrier island environments of the Outer Banks or the Netherlands to the volcanic coasts of Iceland or Tenerife. Students would describe what they noticed, for example: the color of beach sand, the existence of sand dunes or rocky cliffs, the shape of a river delta or estuary, evidence of human or animal activity, the steepness of the continental margin, etc. Through this activity, students learned to use observation and critical thinking skills to support their assumptions and learned how to link individual elements of a coastal environment to overall coastal system dynamics.”

The class size is small, encouraging strong faculty and student interaction.

Marco echoed Logan’s comments, “The professors were friendly, engaging, helpful, and very knowledgeable. Thanks to them I woke up every morning excited for class! We were given a manageable workload and assignments were always interesting and applied to real world situations.”

Dr. Michael Muglia, Research Assistant Professor and admitted “surf junky,” focuses his research on methods to harness energy from the ocean. An overarching theme for his “Analysis Techniques and Methods of Coastal Ocean Research” course was “oceanic fronts” or what fisherman often call “breaks.” Dr. Muglia explained the convergence of distinct water masses at Cape Hatteras and how the varying water temperature and salinity affects the density and can be used to identify these masses. Several field trips on the ocean and sound sides of Nags Head were undertaken and the students were introduced to the CTD instrument which collects conductivity (for salinity), temperature, and depth casts. By calculating wind speed and direction measurements, the students developed an understanding of how the wind moves different water masses into these locations.

Student Kaleigh Bell says, “It’s interesting to have the opportunity to see and practice what we learned in class. I have always loved the coast and ocean, but now that I know more about the systems in these environments, I can view the area differently and be appreciative of the nature involved.”

Housing is provided for students near the historic downtown Manteo area – four miles from campus and near ocean beaches.

Marco found the housing arrangement to his liking. “Our residence was comfortable and very accommodating with easy access to CSI. We had plenty of free time to explore Roanoke Island and surrounding areas of the Outer Banks, which was a blast!”

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 event forced some of the planned activities to be cut short, resulting in classes converting to online studies. Nevertheless, judging from the students’ resounding exclamations, the semester was a success.

I’m really going to miss the atmosphere, all the helpful faculty, and my classmates whom I have gotten closer to over the past few months. (Kaleigh)

I was thoroughly engaged and passionate about the entire program, and I enjoyed every minute of it! (Marco)

Deciding to take courses at the Coastal Studies Institute was no doubt one of the best choices I made during my four years at East Carolina University. It was an amazing way to end my senior year. My respect and understanding of the coast intensified during my time at CSI. It was a unique opportunity that anyone who is passionate about the coast should be a part of. (Logan)

For information on the 2021 Undergraduate Semester Experience at the Coast, please visit the web page or contact coastal@ecu.edu.