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  Higher
Education Research Facilities |
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Higher EducationCarteret
Community College (CCC) CCC is part of North Carolina's 59-campus community college system. The college has programs for traditional college students and for trade students seeking to upgrade their skills. The college offers associate degrees in a number of programs as well as courses in continuing education, adult basic education and adult high school completion. Through East Carolina University in nearby Greenville, the college has transferable general education courses. CCC offers technical/vocational courses, such as electrical installation, welding, computers, marine propulsion, phlebotomy, practical nursing and photography. CCC provides educational support and customized skills training to area businesses and industries. New this year is an early childhood associates degree program for those who work in day-care, public school and recreational facilities. Day and evening classes are available for most of the college's offerings, and there are several off-campus class sites throughout the county. The college has a modern Library/Learning Resources Center. Last winter CCC opened a new student center and classroom building on the school's west campus. The first floor contains a snack bar, game room, TV room, bookstore and a lounge where students can hang out. Upstairs houses classrooms for the interior design and protective services programs, plus a nearly 7,000-square-foot space for a new photography lab and classroom. In addition, the college finished construction of about 60 new parking spaces, and plans to add 100 more spaces. Coastal Carolina Community College This community college is also part of the state's community college system. Based in Jacksonville, it provides many of the same programs as Carteret Community College. Carteret/Craven Community College
East Carolina University Partnership Degree Program "This is a dream come true; I can finally finish my degree right here where I live and work." This is the reaction of many of the students enrolled in the Partnership Degree Program, an initiative of the state legislature aimed at extending the university system to more North Carolina residents. The pilot program encourages those who already have college credits to complete their bachelor's degree. Started in the fall of 1996, the partnership is geared to the lifestyles of its students, many of whom are working adults and, very often, parents. Classes are held in the evenings and all lectures, applications processing, college credit review and registration take place on the campuses of the two community colleges. Partnership students receive their degrees from ECU in one of three major courses of study: information processing and administrative services, industrial technology, and middle grades education. Students learn via video conferencing and can access the Internet from college computers to track class assignments, e-mail their homework, chat with other students, pose and answer questions and review class material. For more information contact John Connelly, Coordinator, Carteret/Craven Community College Partnership Degree Program at the phone number above.
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Research FacilitiesThe Crystal Coast is home to numerous research facilities and will soon have one of the largest concentrations of marine scientists on the East Coast. That will come with the completion of the Center of Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST). In 1995 North Carolina State University received appropriations for this center from the General Assembly, and the center is now being built on the west side of the Carteret Community College campus in Morehead City. It is a joint venture between the university, CCC and the existing Institute of Marine Sciences. When completed, CMAST will house labs and other services related to marine science research. All of the research facilities discussed here have something to do with the surrounding water and water-related resources. They offer research, product development and personnel training for corporations around the world. Area laboratories have been involved in developing many products. Contract research has included work with companies such as Strohs Brewery, W. R. Grace, Hercules Chemical, Biosponge Aquaculture Products, International Paint, Allied Chemical, Sunshine Makers, Aquanautics, Mann Bait Company, 3M Corporation and General Dynamics. Duke University Marine Laboratory This interdepartmental facility has two objectives -- research and teaching. The laboratory's large resident academic staff and innumerable visiting professors and researchers from throughout the United States and abroad have contributed to its worldwide reputation. The laboratory maintains a campus and two research vessels. The largest is the R/V Cape Hatteras, a 131-foot ship owned by the National Science Foundation. The ship is designed to carry out basic and applied research and education as required to meet national, state and private needs. Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the lab, which has a long and productive relationship with the town of Beaufort and surrounding areas. Founded by zoology professor A.S. Pearce in 1937, the laboratory began with seven cottages and two 6-week terms for college seniors and graduate students. By the time the lab turned 50, it consisted of 23 buildings -- research facilities, dormitories, shore installations to support research vessels, a library and an auditorium. Today the new $1.1 million LaDane Williams Coastal Ocean Sciences Teaching Center is nearing completion on 15 acres on Piver's Island. This facility is designed as a high-technology learning center, providing access to computer data and televideo that enables the lab to import and export technology from all over the world. Duke University Marine Biomedical Center The Duke University Marine Biomedical Center is supported by the National Institutes of Health. The center's research focuses on marine organisms and their relationship to humans and environmental health. This is one of four such centers in the nation. University of North Carolina Institute of Marine
Sciences The University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences has a facility in Morehead City with activities directed toward understanding basic aspects of the marine sciences. Established in 1947, this is the oldest state-supported marine research laboratory in North Carolina. June 1997 saw the ground breaking of the Coastal Processes and Environmental Health Laboratory, a new 30,000-square-foot wing. This addition houses 20 custom labs for fisheries research and water-quality research, offices and a 100-seat seminar room. National Marine Fisheries Service Beaufort Laboratory As part of the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates this facility, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1999. Since it was founded, the Beaufort Laboratory's goal has been to learn about the life histories of marine animals and plants, their resource potential and the effects of humankind on their abundance. The thrust of the lab's research is in many valuable directions: studies of reef fish because they furnish most of the seafood and recreational fishing in the U.S. South Atlantic; examinations of the environmental factors that cause changes in fish production, especially of economically valuable fish species; and research on protected marine mammals and sea turtles, with a focus on estuarine and near-shore ocean waters because these serve as nursery habitats for turtles and Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins. The Beaufort facility is one of six national labs that make up the Southeast Fisheries Center. Within its two branches, Ecology and Fisheries, more than 80 people are employed to conduct research in fish population dynamics, fishery management, environmental quality and aquaculture. As the Beaufort Laboratory nears the 21st century, it is upgrading its computer and satellite technology to better solve the ecological problems resulting from intensive use of coastal resources. North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries This large facility is charged with stewardship of marine and estuarine resources in coastal creeks, bays, rivers, sounds and the ocean within 3 miles of land. This state agency carries out the policies set by the nine-member Marine Fisheries Commission and the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The DMF has a marine patrol section that works in law enforcement districts along the North Carolina Coast. It's their job to protect the state's fisheries resources and to make sure people comply with conservation regulations. Officers also inspect seafood houses, fish dealers and restaurants that buy or sell North Carolina seafood. Artificial reefs have gained popular support in recent years -- sportfishing clubs, local governments and civic organizations are all interested in their construction, management and evaluation. The DMF is in charge of the state's Artificial Reef Program, which has 39 ocean sites and seven estuarine sites ranging from ½ mile to 38 miles from shore. It is one of the most active artificial reef programs in the country and receives funding from the groups noted above as well as from the state legislature. Other sections of the DMF conduct fisheries and gear research, collect and process the catch statistics of all commercial and recreational fisheries and do shellfish mapping, shellfish leasing and shellfish disease work. The DMF also administers the popular North Carolina Saltwater Tournament and the Governor's Cup Conservation Billfish Tournament series. Rachel Carson Reserve The Rachel Carson component of the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is just across Taylor's Creek from Beaufort. It may look like just an ordinary small island, but it is an active research and classroom site. Congress created the reserve system to maintain undisturbed estuaries for research on the natural and human processes that affect the coast, and the Rachel Carson island serves that purpose well. Educational trips are offered frequently. Insiders recommend a visit; there are many fascinating things to be observed while touring the island. For more information about the Rachel Carson component, call the number above and also see our Attractions chapter. The other three components that make up the state Research Reserve are Masonboro Island and Zeke's Island near Wilmington and Currituck Banks on the Outer Banks.
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Two
higher educational institutions are accessible to Crystal Coast residents interested in
pursuing additional education or seeking enrichment. The area is also home to many
well-known and respected research laboratories.