Meredith is fortunate to have a 225-acre campus, where faculty members such as Biology Lab Manager Amanda Powell make use of every edge to teach students essential skills.
One of these lesser-known but highly valuable corners — Meredith’s forest plot — can be found on the north side of campus, behind an old barn once used to house student horses. This one-hectare plot features a fragmented, urban forest, one of the largest in Raleigh, that’s been studied continuously since the fall of 2007. Powell became involved in the research while a student at Meredith after taking Terrestrial Field Studies with the late Dr. Erin Lindquist. 
Powell credits her senior research project in the Meredith Forest, which examined how fragmented forests are affected by maintained edges, with inspiring her career path.
“I have always had an interest in plants and ecology, but with this project, I fell in love with studying trees. So much so, I spent a few years after undergrad, before grad school, working field jobs related to forest ecology and vegetation sampling,” Powell says. “My experience measuring and identifying trees during my senior research helped me secure my first internship.”
Powell now helps Meredith biology students get the same kind of experience in their Terrestrial Field Studies classes. Powell says the Meredith Forest both surprises and engages students.
“Students are probably most surprised by the wildlife camera photos and the diversity we have on campus in an urban setting,” she says, while the hands-on research and data collection opportunities “give students a taste of field studies and highlight areas of research they could pursue in graduate school, as well as careers related to field studies.”
The forest also serves as a laboratory for Ecology and Geosciences students. Geoscience students have the opportunity to participate in a lab course each semester that focuses on features of the stream that runs through the forest, and students in Principles of Ecology conduct plant surveys and analyze soil samples in the forest.
Associate Professor of Biology Megan Serr, who teaches ecology, says, “These experiences connect classroom theory to real ecosystems, helping students recognize the value of terrestrial systems and the seasonal dynamics that shape them.”
In addition to gaining practical field experience, Powell says that students studying in the Meredith Forest are contributing to meaningful work.
“Fragmented forests are continually increasing because of development, so it is important to understand how edge effects impact forest communities,” she says.
For more information about Meredith’s biology program, visit meredith.edu/biology.