The Outer Banks Field Site (OBXFS) is a fall semester program hosted by the Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese, NC. The OBXFS was established in 2001 as one of the first Institute for the Environment at UNC – Chapel Hill’s field-based semester experiences for undergraduate students.
There are currently twelve students enrolled in the Outer Banks Field Site for the fall 2023 semester. Explore their blog posts to learn about their experience!
OBXFS students study coupled human-natural systems and how natural and social sciences inform policy with the Outer and Inner Banks of North Carolina as their classroom. Classes, field trips, and other experiences address concepts in coastal law and policy, ecosystem scale ecology, and human dimensions of ecology. Students intern with local organizations and complete a group research project, called the Capstone. The students are also fortunate to interact with the local community, which is facilitated by our Community Advisory Board.