Rollins semester at Duke Marine Lab is a unique opportunity for students to be fully involved in research and seminars pertaining to environmental science. The mission of the program is education, research, and service to understand marine systems, including the human component, and to develop approaches for marine conservation and restoration.
Duke Marine Lab is a campus of Duke University and a unit within the Nicholas School of the Environment. The lab is located at Beaufort, North Carolina and operates year round to provide educational, training, and research opportunities to about 3,500 students annually, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students enrolled in the university's academic programs; visiting student groups who use the laboratory's facilities; and scientists who come from North America and abroad to conduct their own research. Students on this program take a full load of courses on Marine Biology and Biology and engage in intensive ongoing fieldwork and research.
Duke Marine Lab is located at Beaufort, it is the third oldest town in the state and is surrounded by fishing and agricultural communities. The area is well known for its historic and scenic attractions as well as being a seaside resort. The Beaufort-Morehead City area provides location for five other facilities that collectively are one of the higher concentrations of marine scientists in the nation. This concentration of marine scientists provides a critical mass for the pursuit of science and education a campus of Duke University and a unit within the Nicholas School of the Environment. The Duke Marine Lab offers undergraduate residential courses in fall and spring semesters. Courses are taught by world-renowned faculty from Duke University and other universities and research institutions. Small class sizes and an island setting facilitate rewarding student-faculty interactions. In addition, a seminar/lecture series features many distinguished scientific speakers from across the nation and abroad.
Students participating on this program will need to seek the appropriate departmental approval for all major/minor requirements and approval for General Education Requirements through Student Records. All courses on this program appear on the Rollins transcript as transfer credits and the grades are factored into the Rollins GPA. Students who successfully complete the Duke Marine Lab program through Rollins will receive an official transcript from Duke University.
Students live in dormitories on the Duke Marine Lab "campus". The rooms are furnished and linens are available. All housing is dorm style with common bathrooms (separated by gender).
The Marine Lab Dining Hall serves three meals a day, seven days a week. Three meals per day are provided and can be scheduled based on arrival and departure time. We can provide bag lunches for field trips away from the Lab for boat trips or to local attractions. Meal times are 8 - 9 a.m. (Breakfast), Noon - 1 p.m. (Lunch) and 5 - 6 p.m. (Dinner). There can be some flexibility in meal schedules to allow for earlier starts to the day.
The area's system of barrier islands, sounds, and estuaries is rich in flora and fauna, and diverse habitats, including rivers, creeks, mud flats, unspoiled sand beaches, dunes, marshes, peat bogs, cypress swamps, bird islands, and coastal forests, making the area an excellent haven for both nature lovers and those interested in the pursuit of marine science. The edge of the Gulf Stream oscillates between 30 and 40 miles offshore, with reefs on the wide continental shelf. Common animals include the blue crab, squid, shrimps, snails, clams, ctenophores, jellyfish, hydroids, sponges, polychaetes, sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sand dollars, skimmers, terns, gulls, herons, sea turtles, dolphins, and many species of fish. All provide ample opportunity for study and research and are readily accessible on foot, by car, or by boat. During fall semester students can travel to Panama or California over an extended Fall Break; during spring semester they can participate in courses with travel to Baja, Costa Rica, Singapore, Trinidad, and Panama. Space is limited. Duke Marine Lab staff works with students to ensure fair distribution of slots for undergraduates and graduates. Rollins students who participate in these excursions will be responsible for the associated costs.
The program fee is equal to Rollins College tuition and fees, and room for one semester plus a 15 block meal plan.
Tuition, program administration, room and board, Marine Lab activity fee, transcript fee, and health fee
Advising is offered on a walk-in basis: Tuesday-Thursday from 12pm - 2pm during the normal semester. If you are unable to make it at these times, email, call or stop by to set up an appointment.
