Now hiring: Materials Scientist
September 24 12:00 am - December 31 12:00 am
Upcoming events
Art & Avian Activism
November 16 2:00 pm - November 16 4:00 pm
The Nature Lab
In the early 20th century, RISD faculty member Edna Lawrence founded the Nature Lab to “open students’ eyes to the marvels of beauty in nature...of forms, space, color, texture, design and structure.”
Today, the Lab still offers unmediated access to authentic natural history specimens, while also fostering creative inquiry into biodesign, ecology, and the climate crisis. High-end microscopes, high-speed cameras, and other advanced imaging systems give members of the RISD community access to living and non-living specimens at multiple scales and provide an engaging platform for examining myriad connections between artistic and scientific study.
The Nature Lab furthers RISD’s hands-on approach to learning by enabling students to investigate ethical, sustainable modes of making informed by natural systems and designed to benefit the environment. Ultimately, it helps everyone who makes use of our resources better understand and articulate the role we play as humans in the ecosystem.
To make a reservation in any of our spaces, please use our Room Request Form.
Browse our Image Galleries on Flickr or our Digital Specimen Library Sketchfab remotely.
Edna W. Lawrence Rooms
The main room and adjoining spaces at the Nature Lab house the Edna Lawrence Natural History Collection, which dates back to before our founding in 1937. Partially displayed in the traditional cabinet-of-curiosities manner, the Natural History Collection has consistently captured students’ imaginations while continuing to grow and change over time. The space also houses a small collection of living plants and animals, and offers open seating for as many as 30 students.
Microscopy and Advanced Imaging Lab
Funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) has helped RISD develop a micro-imaging lab unparalleled at other art and design schools. Students have access to research-grade stereo and compound microscopes, a scanning electron microscope that can magnify up to 350,000x actual size, a hi-resolution 3D scanner, and a host of other imaging technologies for capturing and investigating the fine-grain natural world. Likewise, the Lab offers an array of field equipment allowing students to collect and observe in nature.
Biodesign Makerspace
The Biodesign Makerspace was funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), both to test the impacts of biophilic design in an educational setting, and to provide a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) focused makerspace for working with nature's technologies. The space brings patterns of nature into the built environment in ways expected to increase concentration, focus and productivity, as well as encourage a sense of well-being and a connection to the local ecosystem. Designed by RISD students in a Spring 2018 Interior Architecture studio, it was built by a cohort of RISD students over the summer of 2018.
The Biodesign Makerspace (Room 11) is a shared resource on campus for students to learn about design inspired by nature and experiment with Biomaterials.
To schedule Biomaterials workshops for your class or an individual working session in Room 11, please email biomaterials@risd.edu.
Collections and equipment
