Loading

UNC Galapagos Initiative Empowering Breakthroughs in Darwin’s Living Laboratory

A world-renowned national park, marine reserve and World Heritage Site, the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador represent the world’s greatest vulnerability and its greatest opportunity for study. The discoveries that are made every day in this living laboratory transcend nations and waters, promoting a better understanding of ecologically sensitive and protected areas worldwide.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador created the Galapagos Science Center (GSC) in 2011 to advance science and conservation in the Galapagos Islands — and to extend a richer, more complete understanding of island ecosystems and the threats to their sustainability to the world. The Galapagos Initiative, founded by Dr. Stephen J. Walsh of UNC-Chapel Hill and Dr. Carlos Mena of USFQ, aims to save the Galapagos Islands with an innovative, interdisciplinary and sustainable strategy.

You have the opportunity to support the only university science facility of its kind in the Galapagos. We hope you join us in the journey to not only save the Galapagos, but the world.

For more information about naming opportunities at the GSC or supporting UNC Center for Galapagos Studies, contact:

Kelly Weaver | 919-445-0763 | weaverk@email.unc.edu

State of the Art Facilities

Support the seamless integration of classroom, field and lab.

The 20,000-square-foot Galapagos Science Center houses four laboratories, each with a dedicated research focus: terrestrial ecology, marine ecology and oceanography, microbiology and genetics, and geospatial technologies. Your gift will enhance the Center’s existing capacity through new equipment acquisitions and develop new capabilities that extend the Center’s reach and effectiveness.

Terrestrial Ecology Lab

Water and air quality. The availability of freshwater. Invasive species. Land use change. Species identification and conservation.

The Terrestrial Ecology Lab supports fundamental and groundbreaking ecological research that is essential to conservation efforts and improving quality of life in the archipelago and beyond.

Such as Diego Riveros-Iregui’s research, which involves better understanding sustainability of freshwater resources in the Galapagos Islands.

Riveros-Iregui seeks to determine water availability for human consumption by assessing precipitation inputs such as fog and rainfall, ecosystem water use, water storage and water availability. The tropics are of particular interest to address global sustainability questions as they face growing populations and demands for freshwater.

Riveros-Iregui regularly teaches a field course on Tropical Ecohydrology in the Galapagos and has taken 34 UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduates to study sustainability of freshwater resources in the islands. The combination of the Terrestrial Ecology Lab alongside fieldwork is critical to both his research and educating the leaders of tomorrow.

Learn from UNC geography professor Diego Riveros-Iregui about why the Galapagos is the perfect place for his research and how the Terrestrial Ecology Lab helps him achieve his goals.

A biology student’s dream

As an undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill, Sarah McQueen ’19 had the opportunity to study abroad in the Galapagos, where she divided her time between fieldwork and studying terrestrial ecology and geo mapping in GSC labs.

“A biology student’s dream!” she remarked.

She returned to work alongside Dr. Diego Riveros-Iregui on a study of soil respiration rates for invasive and native plant species.

“This meant spending a month in the field collecting data and bringing it back to the labs for analysis,” said Sarah, who wrote her honor’s thesis on her findings. “The Terrestrial Ecology Lab allowed me access to state-of-the-art equipment and a reliable setting to upload and analyze my data. Working on this project in the Galapagos allowed me to publish this work which helped me achieve my goal of being accepted into medical school.”

Marine Ecology Lab

The activities carried out in the Marine Ecology Lab are focused on ecological, biological and genetic studies of different populations of marine species that inhabit both the open sea and intertidal zones of the Galapagos.

The range of projects developed in this lab vary in objectives and scope, from efforts to understand the basis of the food chain and how it fluctuates with oceanographic changes to conserving migratory species like sharks, sea turtles and cetaceans by better understanding and solving the global problem of plastics pollution.

Oceanographers like Adrian Marchetti, Scott Gifford and Harvey Seim from UNC-Chapel Hill are studying Galapagos waters to better understand the effects of baseline oceanographic conditions, El Niño events and the impacts of climate change on the production of phytoplankton throughout the Galapagos Marine Reserve. They conduct hands-on data collection in the pristine natural laboratory of the Galapagos in order to measure environmental factors such as water temperature, salinity and nutrient levels. The facilities at the Marine Ecology Lab are vital to this work and this research is instrumental in our understanding of climate change. Learn more about the interdisciplinary team of researchers at UNC using the Galapagos to uncover how emissions released from the ocean impact human health and the earth here.

Join UNC-Chapel Hill researchers Adrian Marchetti and Scott Gifford collecting phytoplankton data on a marine cruise in the Galapagos before processing samples in the Marine Ecology Lab.

Microbiology and Biomolecular Lab

The Microbiology and Biomolecular Lab provides the equipment researchers need to work with different biological samples for clinical, microbiological and genetic studies.

Researchers can isolate microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria; process blood, feces and urine samples; and extract DNA or RNA from samples — whatever is needed for research or health purposes.

PhD candidate Alyssa Grube

PhD candidate Alyssa Grube has used the lab extensively to explore how humans contribute to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment under a One Health Framework. Read more here.

This lab also supports the Galapagos National Park by conducting health assessments of giant tortoises to help safely release this iconic species back into the wild and save them from the brink of extinction.

See how the GSC and GNP work together to reintroduce giant tortoises to the wild.

Spatial Analysis and Modeling Lab

No research facility is complete without the tools needed to track, model and visualize information and data.

Geographic information systems (GIS), scientific data visualization, mapping and GPS representation, spatial and statistical modeling are all emphasized in the GSC’s Spatial Analysis and Modeling Lab. And PCs, plotters, scanners and specialized software platforms are available for scientists, students and course instructors as well as the local community.

Whatever is needed to do the work — this lab is the backbone of the research conducted in the GSC.

UNC undergraduates working on coursework and research in the Spatial Analysis and Modeling Lab.

Take Francisco Laso ’21 (PhD) who recently created a new map of land cover and land use that helps include farmers’ perspectives. By using drones he was able to categorize the land in Galapagos and help explore the hidden relationship between farmers' livelihoods and conservation in Galapagos.

Francisco Laso ’21 (PhD) shares his map of the Galapagos highlands created through drone imagery to aid farmers’ productivity.

Dr. Stephen J. Walsh, founding director of the Center for Galapagos Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, has relied on the Spatial Analysis and Modeling Lab in developing a robust mapping and modeling program for the Galapagos. This has allowed his research team to look into fundamental questions such as how many people – both tourists and residents – the islands can support before the environment is severely degraded. By better understanding the social-ecological stressors that threaten the Galapagos Islands, the goal is to protect similarly challenged island settings around the globe. Read more.

Scientists and students collecting beach mapping data in Galapagos.

Community Outreach

Beyond research, the GSC labs are used to educate the local community about conservation, management and marine ecology through programs like the Gills Club, a mentorship program that connects female researchers with girls in Galapagos to spark their interest in the sciences.

Spaces for Collaboration

Support the infrastructure to integrate research, education and outreach.

The Galapagos Science Center has become a model of international cooperation in higher education. Your gift helps provide collaborative spaces for visiting physical, social and health scientists to meet and work together; research spaces for faculty and students; and multipurpose spaces for community outreach and education events.

Community Classroom

GSC staff teach the community about best practices in citizen science.

The hybrid community classroom space is used for UNC-Chapel Hill study abroad courses, citizen science projects or to disseminate research findings to the local community.

Aquarium Mesocasm

Scientists are monitoring this sea star in the Aquarium Mesocasm in the GSC to determine how climate change will affect its survival and its prey.

Researchers use the Aquarium Mesocasm to control and modify seawater parameters to identify long-term changes in ecosystems and, in turn, better understand environmental challenges such as climate change.

Conference Room

The conference room connects GSC researchers and staff to UNC-Chapel Hill, USFQ and international science collaborators to advance science.

Learn More

Visit galapagos.unc.edu to learn more about how the Galapagos Science Center is solving environmental challenges to ensure healthy island ecosystems for future generations.

For more information about naming opportunities at the GSC or supporting UNC Center for Galapagos Studies, contact:

Kelly Weaver | 919-445-0763 | weaverk@email.unc.edu