Research Assistance Grants

Research Assistance Grants

Funder: Friends of the Smokies

Overview: Research assistance grants support needed research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). These grants help fund and promote research that provides a basis for park management decisions.

Purpose

Grants help start important GSMNP research by providing initial funding for:
• Graduate students and professors to get started with data collection
• Researchers competing for larger grants
• Researchers extending focus to address park management issues

Funding

• Amount: As little as $2,000 can help initiate research; FOTS seeks donations to provide approximately $8,000 annually for research assistance grants
• Recurrence: Annual

Geographic Scope

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), Tennessee and North Carolina

Research Focus Areas

Previous grant-funded research includes:
• Plant population genetics and genetic diversity assessment
• Wildlife monitoring (flying squirrels, salamanders)
• Fire ecology and forest regeneration
• Dragonfly monitoring and aquatic research
• Pine seedling regeneration after wildfire

Example Projects Supported

• DNA analysis of GSMNP plant populations to assess genetic diversity and conservation status (conducted by UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State University)
• Ultrasonic sound detectors to monitor endangered Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels
• Short-term effects of wildfire on salamander populations
• Role of fire fungi on pine seedlings' regeneration after wildfire

Contact Information

• Donations can be made to FOTS for research assistance grants
• Paul Super, Science Supervisor at Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob (available for inquiries)