UNC Institute for the Environment

08/28/2026

Scientists are building tools to help people and the planet deal with hotter days. Join members of UNC’s Data-Driven EnviroLab (DDL) for a fire hands-on experience around the challenge of a warmer climate!

You can meet members of DDL in the Launch Lab from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All ages welcome. This special program is included in admission.

Full details: https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/saturday-science-sparks-warmer-climates/

08/28/2026

See CRCE Scholar Antonia Sebastian and our colleagues in UNC Earth Marine and Environmental Sciences on PBS North Carolina discussing their work on flooding.

08/27/2026

Come see us at the Sustainability Social! We just got started!

9 to 12:30 in the Great Hall of the Student Union!

08/25/2026

In Morehead City, the North Carolina coast serves as both a classroom and a research lab.

At the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, faculty and students in the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences are studying coastal ecosystems and the challenges shaping them. Their work spans living shorelines, oyster reefs, seagrass and coastal flooding, giving students opportunities to conduct research in the environments they study.

Discover how IMS is advancing marine science and supporting North Carolina’s coast https://go.unc.edu/e9WMt

08/25/2026

In anticipation of our Sustainability Social this Thurs., get to know Langley Smith, program specialist with Sustainability at UNC in our latest Q+A! 🌱

Read “Five Questions with Langley Smith” to learn more about Langley, her work and her passion for sustainability at Carolina 👇

Meet Sustainable Carolina's program specialist Langley Smith!

08/25/2026

08/24/2026

We’re excited to welcome the 2026 UNC Institute for the Environment cohort to the Highlands Field Site!

For the next several months, Highlands and the surrounding Southern Appalachians will serve as their classroom, laboratory, and home base. Through field-based courses and semester-long research projects, these students will work alongside mentors and community partners on real environmental questions rooted in this region.

We’ll be introducing their research projects soon, and we’re looking forward to sharing the people behind the work as their questions, methods, and findings develop throughout the semester.

A special thank you to the Highlands Biological Foundation, whose continued support helps make this immersive field-based experience possible for students each year.

Follow along—we have a lot to share this semester. 🌿

📸 Photo by Rada Petric

UNC Institute for the Environment

08/20/2026

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill junior Evan Calabria has been named an Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholar.

The earth and marine sciences major conducts research through the Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences and UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, studying marine invertebrates and coastal ecosystems. Calabria hopes to use his research to help coastal communities make informed decisions about the marine resources they depend on.

Explore how Calabria is turning his coastal research into real-world impact https://go.unc.edu/Zs53D

08/20/2026

One week until Sustainability at UNC's annual Sustainability Social! The event brings together University units, student organizations and community groups focused on energy efficiency, environmental stewardship and more. Attendees have the opportunity to visit tables, learn more and get involved. Refreshments will be served!

🗓️ Thur., Aug. 27
🕖 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
📍 Student Union Great Hall

Read more and see what other organizations will be there ⬇️

Sustainable Carolina's signature event brings together University staff and student organizations working in energy, climate, water, waste and more!

08/19/2026

Wilmington’s tidal creeks are getting another look—and Carolina researchers are helping lead the way.

UNC Institute for the Environment Director Michael Piehler and Postdoctoral Research Associate Anne Smiley are featured in the Wilmington Star-News discussing renewed efforts to better understand the health of these vital coastal ecosystems and the challenges they face.

Read more 🔽

Two of Wilmington's tidal creeks in the heart of the city are struggling due to poor water quality. A new study will look at ways of fixing that.