David L. Lentz, Ph.D.
Executive Director
telephone: (513) 556-9733
fax: (513) 556-5299
 david.lentz@uc.edu

Cincinnati Center for Field Studies

 promoting inquiry and discovery about the natural world through a unique integration of research and education

 

Origins and Setting 
As part of the UC21 initiative, the University of Cincinnati (UC) has created the Cincinnati Center for Field Studies (CCFS), a field station designed to serve the Greater Cincinnati region and beyond.  CCFS is connected administratively to the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences with the initial involvement of the Center for Environmental Studies and the Departments of Biological Sciences, Geology, Anthropology and Geography.  

The CCFS is based in Hamilton County where native habitats include mixed mesophytic eastern deciduous forest, and a mosaic of beech-maple forest in the uplands and mixed oak forests on the hillsides. The forest age varies from younger disturbed areas to areas designated as old-growth forest, with trees over 200 years old. Additional natural biotic features include wetlands, prairies and riparian habitats. The Whitewater River and the Great Miami River, created the broad floodplains and steep topography exposing Ordovician limestone and shale bedrock, characteristic of the internationally renowned Cincinnati Arch.

 

Cincinnati Center for Field Studies has six principal objectives:

  • Conduct research on natural ecosystems in a changing landscape
  • Provide field-oriented educational activities in the form of formal academic classes, informal workshops and training programs
  • Inform the management of natural lands for CCFS, Hamilton County and the region
  • Communicate science to the public and engage non-scientists in scientific study through the involvement of CCFS scientists sharing expertise and research results
  • Facilitate interaction between a variety of disciplines related to the environment
  • Serve as a regional center for scientific exchange and informed discussion of environmental issues.

Research
The CCFS provides a base of operations for on-site and regional field research, a protected area for long-term environmental research, and a training center for interdisciplinary research and education activities, including:

  • Individual and collaborative research on animal and plant populations as well as environmental processes  (ecological, atmospheric and hydrological)
  • Long-term monitoring / experimental studies of populations and environmental processes
  • Studies involving geological, geographic and archaeological fieldwork.
 

 


Education and Outreach
The CCFS is designed as a regional center for environmental research and education.  It reaches out to colleges, universities and other schools, as well as governmental, non-profit and environmental organizations.  A tremendous variety of educational programs are possible at CCFS because of its unique setting and the collaboration of the partners. Targeted activities include

  • Undergraduate and graduate course offerings; e.g. field components of lecture courses, field courses; specialized short duration field-based workshops, and unique summer offerings. Courses will be taught by UC faculty, graduate students or personnel from other organizations. 
  • Teacher education, including courses and internships to support the new Masters of Teaching Science
  • Speakers Bureau providing programs and workshops in the local and regional community
  • Interpretive exhibits share the findings of CCFS research
  • Opportunities for volunteers, teachers and students to participate in field research at CCFS
  • Informal science presentations for the public