Through exhibits, field trips and classroom experiences, we invite students and faculty to develop a deeper understanding of the connections between natural and human systems by exploring the local ecosystem in and around Narragansett Bay. Field work enables us to recognize our own place in the natural world — both close to home and globally — and develop an awareness and appreciation of biodiversity at multiple scales.
Students selected for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program engage in targeted research projects funded by a National Science Foundation grant from the RI Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Recent projects have revolved around imaging, photographing and representing living marine plankton from Narragansett Bay, with a focus on creating inspiring and informative visual narratives that increase public awareness of marine conservation issues. The 2018 project focused specifically on "designing a visual platform for exploring climate change impacts in coastal plant communities."
Selected field equipment is available for use by individual students and classes interested in exploring the local environment and sampling the physical characteristics and biological diversity of a particular site. Staff members run labs and support faculty as a means of offering hands-on experiences aligned with a specific class syllabus.
The two 150-gallon saltwater aquaria and one 65-gallon reef aquarium in our Wet Lab house a living collection of vertebrate and invertebrate animals collected from Narragansett Bay. Complementing the work done in the nine studio courses sponsored by NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), teams of students and staff are conducting studies on Narragansett Bay plankton, the propagation of marine organisms and the visualization of data.
