River Basins Research Initiative
The River Basins Research Initiative looks at how the transformation of the local and regional landscape alters soils, rivers, and streams in regard to their biogeochemical processes, hydrology, and ecology across Upstate South Carolina. Within this framework, there is plenty of room for you to design your own research track. The program began in 1996 with two students studying a watershed. Today, it’s a thriving summer research program funded by many grant sources and institutions. We have served more than 200 students, with about half of our participants coming from other universities. The program aims to develop every student as a scientist through collaborative research projects with faculty.
The research involves faculty and students from the Biology Department, as well as the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. We take special pride in the way students and faculty members work together as colleagues in this project. Learn more about the River Basins Research Initiative.
Southern Appalachian Mountains Piedmont Mapping
New geologic mapping in the Piedmont of the Southern Appalachian Mountains has been undertaken by numerous Furman undergraduates since 1995. Detailed mapping of complex polyphase fold and fault patterns in the metamorphic rocks of Upstate South Carolina has been undertaken at quadrangle (1:24,000) scale. The object of the research is to systematically collect relevant geologic, structural, and petrologic information that will lead to a better understanding of the area’s complex Taconic (Ordovician), Neoacadian (Devonian-early Carboniferous), Alleghanian (Carboniferous-Permian), Mesozoic, and Neogene geologic history. It is due to long-term plate tectonic activity that has affected this region.
The South Carolina Geological Survey provides complete logistical support for the fieldwork on these mapping projects. In addition, it provides some technical cartographic assistance in the map-making and publishing process. These geologic maps (five completed quadrangles done by Furman students, each about 65 square miles) currently are available on the organization’s website. They are used by the public (for example, by city planners to make decisions requiring basic geologic information, or for recreational purposes, or by other professionals).
Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing
One of the important issues we study is how expanded urban growth is impacting local streams and rivers in Upstate South Carolina. GIS and Remote Sensing research projects study short- and long-term changes in the water quality, chemistry, and ecology of streams and riverbanks in the region. This research involves the ways nature deals with the loss of space. You can study hydrologic cycles by means of GIS-based modeling and remote sensing. Recent projects also have been involved with analyzing the extent, occurrence, and distribution of widespread landslides and their causal mechanisms in the rugged Middle Saluda River Valley along the foot of the Blue Ridge Front. GIS is a tool with wide application to all disciplines and majors at Furman. Visit the GIS blog.
David E. Shi Center for Sustainability
Founded in 2008, the Shi Center for Sustainability provides our students with a wide range of creative sustainability projects. The center supports student sustainability fellowships, which many of our majors are awarded. The fellowships engage students in research and internships with local government agencies and community organizations, as well as Furman. Examples include working with the City of Greenville, local nonprofit organizations, and the university’s greenhouse gas inventory. The center also supports farming, and other activities to raise awareness about sustainable living. Learn more about the Shi Center.
