Flying high: UTC students trade classrooms for coastal ecosystems

Seagulls fly above ocean waves on the South Carolina coast during a UTC field study trip.

Seagulls and breaking waves along the South Carolina coast, where UTC students in Biology 4170 studied birds and coastal ecosystems during spring break. Photo courtesy of Dr. David Aborn.

For students in a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Biology 4170 Ornithology course, spring break became an opportunity to study birds and ecosystems firsthand along the South Carolina coast.

“On the first day of class, I tell the students that, as long as the weather is good, we will be going outside for every lab because I think they can learn more from seeing birds in the wild than they can from looking at museum specimens,” said Dr. David Aborn, a professor in the Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science who annually leads the field study. “The purpose of the South Carolina trip is for them to see species and ecosystems that they won’t see in this area.”

Aborn said he offers students in the course three options to complete during the semester: writing a natural history paper about a North American bird species, preparing bird taxidermy specimens for the University collection or participating in the South Carolina field trip during part of spring break.

He said he gained familiarity with many of South Carolina’s birding locations as a student, earning both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Clemson University.

Aborn and the ornithology students stayed at the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Coastal and Marine Sciences, a facility jointly operated by Clemson University and the University of South Carolina.

“I tell the students that while the emphasis is on birds,” he said, “I want the trip to be a broader experience.”

That broader experience includes stops that introduce students to geology, history and coastal wildlife. At one location, students searched for fossil shark teeth. Another stop highlighted a site connected to the Underground Railroad.

“For some people, it is their first time seeing an alligator,” Aborn said. “One time, there was a student who had never seen the ocean before.”

The trip also gave students field-based learning in a setting far different from Southeast Tennessee, he said, exposing them to coastal habitats and species not commonly encountered in the Chattanooga area.

“The students can really determine whether experiences like these are worthwhile, and I have always had good groups that have gone on the trip,” Aborn said. “Good birds and good students—and good seafood as an added perk—have always added up to a fun and meaningful experience for everyone.”