The research programs at Powdermill take advantage of the Reserve's wide variety of habitats found in the Allegheny Mountains. The bird-banding operation at Powdermill Avian Research Center (PARC), begun in 1961, is the longest continuous banding program of its kind in the United States. The program focuses on the great diversity of small migratory songbirds that are caught in mist nets, banded with numbered aluminum bands, processed, and released. The bird banders record the species, the age and sex of the bird, and its weight and wing measurements. To date, over 550,000 birds of 190 species have been banded with more than 100,000 recaptures reported.

PARC is on the cutting edge of a variety of other avian research projects including bioacoustical monitoring of nocturnal migrants, GIS based technology as a precise locator of species of concern, the six volume Photographic Guide to the Ageing and Sexing of North American Birds, the ongoing study of the Louisiana Waterthrush as a bioindicator of stream quality and, with the assistance of thousands of volunteer bird enthusiasts across the state, the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas.

Other ongoing research includes several studies of distribution and abundance of amphibians and reptiles at Powdermill, as well as plant ecology and systematics, the influence of acid rain on tree growth, aquatic ecology, and effects of the gypsy moth on the Appalachian forest.

Powdermill serves as a teaching site for many university-based classes in field biology and as a location for graduate and undergraduate biological research. Field and laboratory volunteers assist with several of the year-round research programs. Powdermill has also served as a designated recording station for the national weather service since 1967 and is a member of the Organization of biological research Stations (OBFS).

For information on research opportunities at Powdermill, please visit the Research With Us page. For unpaid opportunities, please visit the Volunteer page.