Summer Research in Students' Own Words

Students in the Harvard Forest Summer Research Program are blogging about their 11-week internships studying soils, sap flow, species models, forest landowner decision-making, even environmental art.

From May to early August, students collect and analyze data for their independent projects with the guidance of a research mentor, often working in a small team of students on a complex, multi-faceted research question. Workshops and seminars throughout the summer improve students' skills in statistical analysis and science communication, and introduce them to researchers and graduate students throughout the spectrum of environmental fields.

The program, now in its 26th year, attracts students from around the U.S. and is supported by a variety of funding sources, including the National Science Foundation, the Long-Term Ecological Research Program, Harvard University's Faculty of Arts & Sciences, and Mount Holyoke College's Miller Worley Center for the Environment. This year's cohort of 23 students was drawn from 18 colleges and universities.

Students will present their final research results in a symposium in the Fisher Museum on August 4.

• Read the blog.
• Learn more about the HF Summer Research Program.