Please contact Amanda Cole if you are thinking about coming to the Marine Lab in Beaufort for the spring. Housing assignments are automatic with your registration at the Marine Lab. Information about residence life and move-in will be provided after registration.
For spring 2026, the Marine Lab will offer courses in a block schedule format. Students register for one course per block.
Travel Courses: See the schedule below for travel course offerings as they are confirmed. Please visit the Marine Lab's Travel Course Information page for full course details.
Research Independent Study: Download the (PDF). Interested students should contact potential advisors to identify a project. When an advisor and project are finalized, Gwendy Womble can send you a permission number.
Engineering students: Check out the Spring Engineering Semester, a new program offering engineering credits at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab.
The Marine Lab's spring semester start/end dates and residence hall move-in/move-out dates may differ from the 51±¬ÁÏ academic calendar. Please consult the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab Academic Calendar for important spring semester dates.
2026 Block Schedule dates:
Undergraduate Move In: Monday, January 5
Orientation: Tuesday, January 6
Block A: Wednesday, January 7- Tuesday, February 3 (no class on Monday, January 19 for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
Block B: Wednesday, February 4 - Monday, March 2
Block C: Tuesday, March 3 - Friday, April 3
Spring Break: Friday, March 6 (7pm) - Sunday, March 15
Block D: Monday, April 6 - Friday, May 1
Spring 2026 Courses
Discusses patterns of abundance, diversity and activity of organisms in major ocean ecosystems. Identifies major physical, chemical and ecological processes that affect these patterns, and analyzes impact of biology on ecosystems. Uses a 'flipped' classroom for enhanced development of quantitative skills to measure these patterns, emphasizing hands-on data collection and analyses, multiple field trips aboard DUML research vessels, and participatory activities to demonstrate core concepts in biological oceanography. Taught at 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab. Recommended intro bio or AP Bio credit.
View linked Travel Course Page for Costs and Policies: (will be updated for 2025 in October)
Essential biology of sea turtles (evolution, anatomy, physiology, behavior, life history, population dynamics) and their conservation needs; emphasis on their role in marine ecosystem structure and function. Basic ecological concepts integrated with related topics including the conservation and management of endangered species, the contributions of technology to the management of migratory marine species, the role of research in national and international law and policy, and the veterinary aspects of conservation.
This course provides an introduction to restoration ecology and ecological restoration. We will explore the major ecological theories that guide restoration ecology as well as the unique considerations and techniques needed to restore the world’s dominant coastal ecosystems (e.g., saltmarshes, seagrass beds, coral reefs, etc.), and we will conclude by focusing on challenges and opportunities for ecosystem restoration in the 21st century. Students will participate in lectures, discussions, and field trips. Recommended pre-requisite: Introductory biology or environmental science. Taught at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab in Beaufort.
This course will examine management of coastal watersheds and their biological function, focusing on the positive (restoration) and negative (degradation, eutrophication) ways that humans alter ecosystems. Local field trips are an integral part of this class to examine anthropogenic modifications to coastal ecosystems (e.g. farms, wetland restoration) as well as discussing these issues with stakeholders at NGOs, businesses and government. Taught at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab in Beaufort.
Physiology of marine animals with emphasis on comparisons between marine vertebrates and humans. Focus on physiological processes including gas exchange, circulation, osmoregulation, metabolism, thermoregulation, endocrine, neural control and sensory systems. Lectures and laboratories illustrate the methodology, analysis techniques, and written reporting of physiological research.) This course fulfills the structure/function requirement for Biology majors and the Organismal Structure/Function requirement for Environmental Science majors (BS) and the marine science section for Environmental Science and Policy Majors (AB). Taught at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab in Beaufort.
This course is designed for students in marine and environmental science disciplines to learn data analysis skills, including analysis techniques and their implementation using MATLAB or R. Topics include: discrete sampling issues, data outlier and rejection tests, interpolation and gridding, error and propagation of uncertainty, coordinate rotations and principal axes, curve fits, regression, bootstrapping, filtering, spectral and harmonic analysis, spatial analyses. Other topics may be included or substituted depending on student interests. The course is structured as mix of weekly lectures and linked workshops applying methods to marine and environmental data sets. Taught in Beaufort at 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab. Instructor consent is required.
Includes a full overview of past and emerging applications for ecology and biology of marine species and coastal habitats with in-depth discussion on future of drone applications in coastal biological and ecological research. Comprehensive exploration of current drone technologies, including detection limits of target species, payload selection, operational procedures aeronautical concepts, rules and regulations, safety, mission planning, aircraft design, maintenance, data collection, management and analysis. Biological and technical lab components tailored to student interests:
Active participation in megafaunal or environmental research and data analysis. Building, operating and maintaining aircraft, programming for manual and autonomous flight.
The use of unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) is changing how marine scientists collect data on animals and the environments they inhabit. This course introduces students to the basics of using UAS in marine environments, presenting examples of existing and emerging applications, detailing the types of sensors used for marine applications, describes the sampling complexities of the marine environment, and provides and overview of typical workflows and data management. Details on regulatory and permitting requirements to fly UAS and legally and safely are also covered. The lab portion of the course will focus on basic aeronautics, flight planning and simulations, and the design, assembly, operation and maintenance of unoccupied aerial vehicles. Check out 51±¬ÁÏ's Unoccupied Aircraft Facility website : http://superpod.ml.duke.edu/uas/
An exploration of the ecology of extreme marine ecosystems and the physiology behind the adaptations that allow inhabitants to survive and often thrive there. Marine ecosystems with extreme temperature, pressure, salinity, oxygenation, light, nutrient load, natural chemicals, and anthropogenic pollution will be discussed including polar seas, multiple deep sea and chemosynthetic ecosystems, oligotrophic gyres, oil spills, and superfund sites. Students will gain an understanding how these organisms and ecosystems function, their ecosystem services, threats by a changing ocean, and conservation challenges via lectures, discussions, videos, and primary literature. Taught in Beaufort at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab.
This course will explore theoretical and methodological aspects of social impact analysis (SIA) and apply and deepen that learning through an immersive experience in an Indigenous context in British Columbia, Canada. By addressing the social and cultural impacts conservation and development initiatives SIAs can be a critical component in planning, implementing, and monitoring effective conservation actions. Accordingly, this course will first develop an understanding of some of the core concepts, methods and applicable sociological theory upon which the design of social impact analysis is built.
In all cases good SIAs should involve all potentially affected groups, should consider impact equity and differences by location and socio-economic status, and should consider a holistic and contextually grounded range of impacts. As such, this course will include an intensive field experience on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The course will based at the within Tla-o-qui-aht Territory (Tofino, BC). The are a Nuu-chah-nulth speaking people that are leaders in the development and implementation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).
During the time in Tla-o-qui-aht Ha’houlthee (traditional territory) the students will be hosted by, and meet, several Tla-o-qui-aht citizens and knowledge holders, including some who are former Chiefs or Council members. Students will be engaged in a variety of practical and applied learning and field experiences relating to indigenous conservation. Course themes and components covered during this time will include the application of SIA concepts and understanding in this particular Indigenous context, as well as the background and history of territories and areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (ICCAs), Indigenous knowledge systems, Indigenous environmental stewardship, human-environmental relationships, and alternative approaches to planning.
International Conservation and Development. CCI, SS Interrelated issues of conservation and development. Topics include the evolution of the two concepts and of theories regarding the relationship between them, the role of science, values, ethics, politics and other issues in informing beliefs about them, and strategies for resolving conflicts between them. While attention will be given to all scales of interaction (i.e. local, regional, national, international), the focus will be on international issues and the `north-south’ dimensions of the conservation and development dilemma. Examples from marine and coastal environments will be highlighted. Consent of instructor required. Taught in Beaufort at 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab. Instructor: Campbell. C-L: Marine Sciences, Marine Science and Conservation
Fundamentals of marine bioacoustics with a focus on current literature and conservation issues. Topics include: introduction to acoustics; acoustic analysis methods and quantitative tools; production and recording of sound; ocean noise; propagation theory; active and passive acoustics; hearing, sound production and communication in marine organisms, potential impacts of anthropogenic noise; and regulation of marine sound. Labs will focus on methodologies used for generating, recording and analyzing marine sounds. Taught in Beaufort at 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab. Prerequisite: AP Biology, introductory biology, or consent of instructor; Physics 141L or 164L (or equivalent Physics courses) or consent of instructor.
View linked Travel Course Page for Costs and Policies: (will be updated for 2025 in October)
Distribution, abundance, and diversity of marine organisms, including a survey of the major flora and fauna in the marine environment, including physical characteristics, adaptation to environment, species interactions, biogeography, larval recruitment, and biodiversity and conservation of communities found in rocky shores, tidal flats, beaches, marshes, mangrove, coral reefs, and subtidal areas. Lectures, field excursions, lab exercises and an independent project.
Principles, structure, and process of public policy-making for marine fisheries. Topics include local, regional, national, and international approaches to the management of marine fisheries. A social systems approach is used to analyze the biological, ecological, social, and economic aspects of the policy and management process. Taught in Beaufort at 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab.
Current sequencing technologies have revolutionized the fields of molecular, evolutionary, and ecological genetics. The ability to generate an entire genome worth of sequence data in a single instrument run allows us to study whole genomes in a variety of non-model organisms. In this course, we will use the genomes of marine mammals to explore the field of genomics. The course will start out with basic genomics (ie. Genome-101), move on to sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, and then explore conservation, ecological and evolutionary genetics of marine mammals using the literature and publicly available datasets.
An interdisciplinary course that addresses concepts, issues, and approaches relevant to marine protected area (MPA) management and their impacts on marine ecosystems and coastal people. Course will address key topics in MPA design, management, and how context and management shapes MPA design and outcomes. This course will focus on sensitive marine ecosystems (e.g. coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses) and resource-dependent communities involved in fishing and tourism. Using real world case studies, students will apply introduced concepts and quantitative approaches to questions on MPA design and evaluating MPA social and ecological impacts. Students will engage with the course material primarily through group discussions, problem sets and lectures.
A challenging Ocean Engineering project will be undertaken in this class. Past examples include participation in a national XPRIZE contest to build an Ocean Sensor. Students define project scope and form task-oriented sub-teams to make significant progress toward overall class project goal. Students are expected to spend several hours per week outside of class working on the team projects. Students will need to be in teams that can all meet for at least couple of hours at the same time each week. Prerequisite: one of ECE 230L, ECE 250D, ECE 270DL, ECE 280L, Mechanical Engineering 221L, Engineering 244L, or Environment 102. Taught at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC for the Spring 2025 semester.
Individual research in a field of special interest, under the supervision of a faculty member.
Interested students should contact potential advisors to identify a project. When an advisor and project are finalized, Gwendy Womble can send you a permission number.
Sensory physiological principles with emphasis on visual and chemical cues. Laboratories will use behavior to measure physiological processes. Taught in Beaufort at 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab. Prerequisite: AP Biology or introductory biology or consent of instructor and Chemistry 101DL.
Field-based research is foundational for coastal marine science. This course guides students through the scientific process using coastal marine science as a model, starting with a research question, designing experiments, collecting/analyzing data, and communicating findings. Students will obtain practical skills in environmental research through hands-on learning at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab. Emphasis is placed in evidence-based conclusions through exploration and interpretation of experimental data and effective communication of the results. Students will gain valuable experience designing and conducting experiments both in the field and in the lab. Taught in Beaufort at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab.
For help with undergraduate course registration, email gwendy.womble@duke.edu.
New for 2025!
Did you know you can earn engineering credits at the 51±¬ÁÏ Marine Lab? Check out the lineup of spring marine engineering and ecology courses, along with opportunities for hands-on research with faculty—all offered with Pratt students' needs in mind.
