Academic and Training Program Hub

The Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) at Western Carolina University takes a worldwide view of modern coastal processes and geologic hazards, examines the scientific basis for managing developed shorelines in a time of rising sea level and advocates for the development and implementation of responsible strategies, plans, policies and actions that promote the long-term sustainability of our nation’s coastal ecosystems.PSDS is a strong advocate for responsible management policies that consider and balance economic and environmental interests. We identify and recommend specific actions to elected/appointed officials, private sector representatives and others regarding public decisions and actions concerned with social, economic and physical changes in the public interest. We evaluate the environmental, social, economic/financial and governmental consequences of proposed resource management policies, decisions and actions.One of the fundamental goals of PSDS is to serve as a primary technical and policy resource for a variety of beach management issues and to provide information, data and advice to federal, state and local government agencies; the media, concerned citizens; the scientific community; nonprofit organizations and other concerned stakeholders

Become a leader who plans, implements, and manages effective, just, and equitable climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in this 2-year, low-residency graduate program. You’ll complete both in-person summer residency intensives and online coursework focusing on project-based, collaborative learning and research.You’ll examine the science and impacts of climate change – developing a thorough understanding of climate data, policy, society, governance, and decision making – while gaining practical experience in leadership, management, and collaboration for climate action.

Thanks to the generosity of Lois Cassidy (‘70, BS), the Sabin Center is able to provide funding for students pursuing hands-on conservation work/research on the North Carolina coast, with priority given to fieldwork at Bald Head Island. The Cassidy Conservation Fellowships are intended to cover the hard costs associated with fieldwork, including supporting student participation in faculty-led research projects at Bald Head Island and other coastal conservation opportunities. Students, and faculty seeking to include students on Bald Head Island research excursions, are invited to apply for Fellowship funding.

The Sabin Center partners with the City of Winston-Salem’s Office of Sustainability to fund paid student fellowships with the City for rising juniors and seniors at Wake Forest University. This Fellowship allows students to gain a breadth of experience in municipal and community sustainability efforts, while supporting the city in its priority programs over the summer. Experience or expertise in the sustainability or government space is not required.

Each year, the Sabin Center partners with the Environment and Sustainability Studies (ENV) Program to fund rising juniors and seniors pursuing real-world environment and sustainability experience. The Summer Environmental Fellows Program can be used to fund internships or research opportunities focused on a range of environmental or sustainability issues. In recent years, examples include zoonotic disease and deforestation research in Panama and participating in an immersive plant humanities lab in Washington, D.C.

Founded as the Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability in 2010, we’ve sought to build a center based not on traditional definitions of environment and environmentalism from the last half-century, but rather one that looks forward to the next 50 years. Today, we operate at the intersection of enterprise, justice, and conservation, bringing together diverse stakeholders and perspectives to address the seemingly intractable environmental problems facing our world.Our Mission is to use the power of the university to catalyze a global community of innovators, educators, and advocates to solve the essential environmental challenges of our time.

The program is ideal for first responders and those coordinating teams in the field during emergencies and pending disasters.You will learn to prepare for and manage disasters, coastal hazards and international conflicts.The program is based on a dual-format, blended-course model that includes face-to-face instruction, video teleconferencing and mobile access – all of which can be accessed virtually in real time or via the archives asynchronously, followed by self-paced but guided distance education. There is one instructional block a semester spanning two to four weeks at the beginning of the fall, spring and summer semesters.

The Center for Resilient Communities and Environment (CRCE) engages communities in a process of understanding their vulnerability to acute and chronic natural stressors, particularly in an era of climate change, and works to quantify the risk from those stressors and develop strategies to strengthen community and natural system resilience. The Center brings together faculty and students from across the University to collect new data, synthesize existing information, and extend our understanding of how community social, ecological and physical systems work. The CRCE is led by Philip Berke, director of the Center for Resilient Communities and Environment and research professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning.