Bluffton Campus Becomes a Living Laboratory for Biology Students
The University of South Carolina Beaufort's Bluffton campus isn't just where students attend class— it's also where they conduct meaningful scientific research.
During the Spring 2026 semester, students in Dr. Ryan Hanscom's Conservation Biology Lab (BIO 471) used the campus as an outdoor laboratory, investigating the diversity of plants and animals in the university's ponds, forests and wetlands.
The field-based course was designed to give students firsthand experience in the scientific process, from developing ecological research questions and collecting field data to analyzing results and presenting their findings.
"The Bluffton campus was an ideal study site because it was both easy for us to access and ecologically diverse," Hanscom said. "It allowed students to gain authentic research experience while exploring the biodiversity that exists right outside their classrooms."
Working in teams, students completed four independent research projects examining biodiversity and habitat use across campus. Their studies focused on diversity of species in USCB's retention ponds, bird species richness, wildlife activity captured by camera traps, and reptiles and amphibians.
The students' research questions looked at how patterns in wildlife diversity and behavior are shaped by human activity. They compared relatively natural habitats on campus to those that have been heavily altered by human activity.
Exploring Campus Ponds
One research team compared the biodiversity of three retention ponds on campus near USCB's nature trail, the communter parking lot and the Hargray building. Using mesh minnow traps over a five-week period, the students documented the fish and turtle species inhabiting each pond.
Their findings revealed that while the commuter pond contained the greatest number of individual animals, the nature trail pond supported the greatest variety of species. The nature trail pond was the only location where students captured Eastern Mud Turtles, along with Mosquitofish, Warmouth, Bluegill-Warmouth hybrids and Dollar Sunfish.
Although the Hargray Pond yielded no captures during the study, students concluded that each pond plays an important ecological role by providing habitat for aquatic wildlife.
Birding in Diverse Habitats
A second team of students examined how bird communities varied among different habitat types across campus, including forest, ponds, ditches and open grasslands.
Between early March and mid-April, students documented 37 bird species using visual observations, binoculars and the Merlin Bird ID mobile app, which was developed by Cornell University's ornithology lab.
"Birding in forest habitat is very challenging," said XXXX, one of the students in
the birding group.
"It's hard to see them among all the leaves and branches."
Several species—including Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal and Pine Warbler—were observed across multiple habitats, while 13 species appeared in only one habitat type.
Rather than finding completely separate bird communities, students discovered that many species overlapped among habitats, suggesting that the Bluffton campus supports a connected landscape where birds move among forests, wetlands and open spaces.
Reptiles and Amphibians
A third project investigated reptiles and amphibians using drift fences, collection buckets and motion-activated cameras placed in two wooded locations off the nature trail behind campus.
Students compared areas with different levels of human activity to better understand how habitat characteristics influence herpetofauna diversity.
The team initially predicted that undisturbed habitats would support greater species diversity and abundance than more heavily altered sites. However, their preliminary results revealed the opposite pattern. These unexpected findings generated valuable baseline data and led the project to evolve into an ongoing research effort. Students will continue working with Hanscom to monitor individual animals, species diversity, and abundance across sites, establishing the foundation for a long-term study of how wildlife communities respond to natural and human-altered habitats.
Wildlife Caught on Camera
Another student group deployed motion-activated wildlife cameras throughout wooded areas of campus to study how mammals and other animals used different habitats. The cameras were placed in the forest close to the nature trail and behind the recreation center and residence halls.
Over nearly two months, the cameras recorded 163 wildlife observations.
White-tailed deer dominated the images, accounting for 133 sightings, but students also documented American wild turkeys, eastern gray squirrels, southern fox squirrels, raccoons, Virginia opossums, nine-banded armadillos, as well as domestic cats and dogs.
The greatest wildlife activity occurred in wooded areas farther from human development, while camera locations near residence halls, athletic facilities and parking lots recorded the fewest animals. One interior forest site produced the highest diversity, with eight different species documented.
Learning Science by Doing Science
For Hanscom, the greatest value of the course extended beyond the data students collected.
Throughout the semester, students gained experience designing research projects, applying field techniques, analyzing ecological data and communicating scientific findings—the same skills used by professional conservation biologists. They also presented their findings to their peers at the end of the semester in an exercise that simulated a professional conference.
The projects also demonstrated that the Bluffton campus itself is a rich ecological resource, supporting a wide range of organisms, from fish and turtles to birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
By turning their own campus into a living laboratory, USCB students discovered that meaningful scientific research doesn't always require traveling to distant field sites. Sometimes, the most important discoveries are waiting just outside the classroom.
- USCB -
CW 07/22/2026