Cumberland Mountain Research Center
Named for the Cumberland Mountains in which the Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) was founded, the Cumberland Mountain Research Center (CMRC) was established in 1990 on the (LMU) campus to foster a collaborative research environment among faculty and students as part of the larger science education mission of the University, and to provide a broad range of research facilities, opportunities, and resources to LMU faculty and student researchers. The original objective was to take advantage of the unique ecology of southern Appalachia that surrounds the Cumberland Gap region. Working with a variety of institutions and organizations, including state and federal agencies, these efforts quickly expanded to include many areas across the Southeastern United States, as well as westward into Arkansas. Shortly after this time, the CMRC also began developing international opportunities in Kenya, Thailand, Belize, and Costa Rica, and it continues to provide and facilitate regional, national, and international opportunities for LMU faculty and students to this day.
Throughout its history, the CMRC has been involved with species management and restoration (delisting of an endangered snail) as well as identifying species new to science (including slime molds and sponges). Ongoing endangered species projects focus on the reintroduction of endangered mussels within the Powell River and monitoring efforts of an endangered species of tapir in Costa Rica. With these and many other ongoing projects, the CMRC actively promoting faculty and student research contributions in conservation biology and ecology publications in scientific journals, conference presentations, and a variety of outreach and education opportunities within southern Appalachia