Does the temperature of the soil impact the size of salamanders? How deep do the roots of black tupelo trees go? Ever see a wolf spider chow down? Harvard students investigate these questions and more as part of an immersive research experience in the Harvard Forest.
Thanks to the support of the Associates community and gifts to the Harvard College Fund, undergraduate research knows no bounds. Through the Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology, students travel 65 miles west of the Yard to study trees, soil, insects, and plants at a 4,000-acre research site.
Approximately 700 students have participated in the program over the past 30 years. Many do not have any prior research experience but learn critical research skills and work alongside mentors like Ben Goulet-Scott PhD ’22, a higher education and laboratory coordinator for the Harvard Forest.
Nearly 80 percent of program alums have gone on to STEM and ecology fields, including Lucy Hutyra PhD ’07, who earned a MacArthur Foundation fellowship for her research on extreme heat and climate change.
This opportunity is one of many, including the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village, where students live together in a living, learning, and social community of researchers. They can do so because of support like yours.
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