After being postponed in 2020, the Nature Lab is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for our first ever Block Island Experience (BIX)! Open to both undergraduate and graduate students, BIX is the ideal introduction for RISD students to gain a deeper understanding of the local ecology and become inspired by the diversity of life in...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
The RISD-Hyundai Research Collaborative Team is excited to announce our Spring 2022 courses. We invite you to apply. These courses are part of a collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group and RISD. Our partnership supports many activities—sponsored studios, exhibitions, summer research, and trips to Seoul (when possible). Our Spring 2022 courses involve generous support for student research,...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Generous funding from Hyundai supports ongoing studio and workshop activities aimed at innovating solutions to emerging design challenges, in ways that are deeply informed by the natural world.
We are currently seeking outstanding applicants for a 2 year fellowship position to work with Hyundai and...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Deadline to apply: February 5, 2021 Click here to apply!
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students engage in 10 weeks of intensive research training. They develop professional relationships with faculty and graduate students, gain hands-on experience with active research projects, become familiarized with complex lab equipment, and learn about topics such as applying to grad school...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
From October 2020 — May 2021, the Nature Lab hosted the Regeneration virtual series, an online speaker event that explored diverse perspectives on how making can integrate with natural, cultural, and social systems in a way that influences creative practices for the benefit of communities and the planet. Moderated by Dora Mugerwa, with collaborative support from
A collaboration between the Nature Lab and Southeastern New England Fibershed, The Common Thread virtual series explored the commonalities within the systems of land, waste, material, and color and how they can intersect with various modes of thought to...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Our Shared Planet: The Environment Issue Special Issue of American Studies Guest editors: Hee-Jung Joo (University of Manitoba), Pacharee Sudhinaraset...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Thousands of years ago, retreating glaciers left behind a pile of rock and rubble off the southern coast of Rhode Island that today is a popular vacation destination, combining inland rolling hummocks and hollows with dramatic cliffs, dunes and sandy beaches. Native American habitation dates back to 500 B.C.: they referred to both the island, and themselves as “Manisses”, translated as “Little God’s Island”. Today it is about 50% conservation land, mostly held by the Nature Conservancy,...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
The Edna W Lawrence Nature Lab is working on the creation of a three-dimensional mobile visualization platform for viewing
animations of ocean model simulations based on data obtained through C-AIM projects. Using publicly available
LIDAR data created by NOAA, we have already created a complete polygonal mesh of Narragansett Bay and its
bathymetry, resulting in a computer-generated model that can be 3D printed to create a scale model. The
resulting 3D print is then used as a platform for...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Led by Maria Eugenia Moya Martinez [MFA '18 SC], Adam Chuong [MID '19], Peter Lokken [MFA '18 FURN], and Kylie King [MDes '18], these workshops invited members of the RISD community to grow crystals, experiment with bioplastics, and make paper using invasive species. Read the full story
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Exhibition Biodesign: From Inspiration to Integration Curated by William Myers & The Nature Lab at RISD Funding for production, shipping or travel may be available
Dates August 25–September 27, 2018
Location Rhode Island School of Design
Proposal Deadline March 15, 2018 Submit via...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Join us for a two-part workshop, The Color Blue, led by Botanist-in-Residence Hope Leeson and RISD student Clara Boberg TX 23. These workshops will take place on Saturday, November 6th and 13th, from 1 to 4pm at the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab, Biodesign Makerspace (Room 11).
In this workshop series we will investigate color as a means of communication, explore the theme of fermentation as process, and delve into the importance of the color blue for living creatures. During these...
The Biodeisgn Makerspace in the Nature Lab
13 Waterman St
Providence, RI — 02903
The Visualization Forum is an annual event hosted by Vis-a-thon where recipients of the Collaborative Visualization Grant publicly share their work, experiments, and research. This year, please join us to hear RISD students Zach Scheinfeld 22 GD and Avantika Velho 22 ID + NCSS discuss their collaborative, interdisciplinary projects with URI PhD candidates Basia Marcks and Anna Schrecengost.
Presentations will be held virtually over Zoom.
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Join Kidder Gowen of Hawk and Handsaw Farm and Hope Leeson, Botanist-In-Residence at the Nature Lab, for a three hour workshop on Saturday, October 30 at 1:00 pm. In this workshop, attendees will learn how to process flax from its natural form in the field to to its use as a fiber.
This event is open to current RISD students, faculty, and staff only. Reservation is required. RSVP HERE.
The Biodeisgn Makerspace in the Nature Lab
13 Waterman St
Providence, RI — 02903
The Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab at RISD, Fleet Library at RISD, and Synergetics Collaborative were pleased to announce the 6th Biennial Design Science Symposium: Inclusive Narratives from Nature, an event which explored multiple approaches to sustainable/nature-inspired making, community development, and other work that facilitates a holistic...
The RISD Nature Lab, RISD Fleet Library, and Synergetics Collaborative are pleased to announce an open call for proposals for the the upcoming 6th Biennial Design Science Symposium: Inclusive Narratives from Nature. The event will bring together multiple speakers and workshop/breakout session leaders that explore varied approaches to a holistic relationship with nature and natural systems, sustainable|nature inspired making, and community development.
We invite...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Modern Meadow is a pioneer in biofabrication using the latest tools from biotechnology to build a new world of materials. Their ZoaTM Biofabricated Materials are designed and grown from animal free collagen. Through the collaboration of design, biology and material science, they create materials to solve sustainability challenges while reimagining material possibilities.
Woods Gerry, 62 Prospect Street
Providence, RI — 02903
The Nature Lab's 80th anniversary culminated with Biodesign: From Inspiration to Integration, an exhibition curated in collaboration with William Myers. The exhibition ran from Aug 25—Sept 27 and showcased recent examples of design and art that inform our complex relationship with nature and help us decipher how it may evolve in the future.
On August 24, 2018, opening day of the Biodesign: From Inspiration to Integration exhibition, we hosted a half-day symposium that brought together international artists, designers, scientists and educators for talks, discussions and presentations on topics such as valuing non-human forms of life as collaborators, artistic and scientific modes of inquiry, and ethical considerations in bioart and biodesign practices.
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
From May 21st-July 27th, this project will work to document 21st century plant diversity in dune and salt marsh habitats around Narragansett Bay in order to record changes resulting from climate change. We will collect herbarium specimens and create images of all field sites and species present, with the aim of comparing present day diversity to historical diversity records from online herbarium resources dating back to the early 1800s. Using a range of technologies and design strategies, we...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Join the Nature Lab’s summer fabrication team! We are building a first of it’s kind biodesign makerspace and we need your talents to make it happen. Apply now!
The Application deadline is April 7th, 2018.
We are seeking 4 graduate students and 3 undergrads with a wide range of fabrication skills to work from the 28th of May to the 3rd of August, building out the new space. Students will be compensated for 35 hrs a week. If you have a passion for sustainable...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
The Providence Athenaeum's April 6th Salon brought together three panelists to discuss the significance of Edna Lawrence’s vision from their respective disciplines. Entomologist David Wagner discussed the role of color and pattern in nature; Nature Lab Coordinator Betsy Ruppa regaled with stories about the origins of the natural history collection and its value to an art school; and Senior Critic in RISD’s Experimental and Foundation Studies department Alba Corrado shared memories of Edna...
Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit St
Philbrick Rare Book Room
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Curated by Oswaldo Chinchilla [BFA '21 ID CER], this exhibition celebrates a collection of specimens from the Nature Lab, partially donated by RISD's Intercultural Student Engagement (ISE).
Exhibition Dates: April 5th - Cinco de Mayo Location: Edna Lawrence Natural History Collection
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
This upcoming LABscape exhibition in Hillsdale, New York features 92 artists, including several RISD alums. The curator, Eric Wolf, who is a 1982 graduate from RISD's Photography Department, brings together work that depicts nature and celebrates the Nature Lab and Edna Lawrence's teachings.
Join Eric Wolf and the featured artists at the opening reception: February 17th, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The 2017 academic year marks the 80th anniversary of the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design. During her 50+ year tenure, Edna Lawrence’s collection and her drawing courses introduced students to a way of seeing nature, and its details, as fundamental forms and patterns in art and design. While her shells, insects, plants, animals, bones, textiles, ceramics, wood, and more have catalyzed creativity for students each year, Edna Lawrence’s lifelong endeavor resulted in...
RISD Fleet Library
15 Westminster Street
Providence, Rhode Island
This free two-day workshop introduced participants to mixed and virtual reality tools. Attendees thought about and incorporated new ways of sharing their research using VR as a tool and artistic inquiry as a method. Participants experienced advanced VR technology at the Center for Computation and Visualization at Brown University and familiarized themselves with augmented reality (AR) processes at the Nature Lab to integrate into their work.
Dates: July 21–22,...
Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design
Center for Computation and Visualization at Brown University
Scott MacIvor from GRIT Lab shared his extensive knowledge of pollinators in a workshop on how to build "bee hotels." Bees are essential pollinators of plants and crops including apples, plums, carrots, coffee, cotton. However, many bee species are currently in decline or endangered, largely because of loss of their feeding and nesting habitats. Building bee hotels is a...
Nature Lab — Room 11
13 Waterman Street
Providence
Scott MacIvor received a PhD in Biology in 2015 at York University, where he researched patterns in urban bee and wasp diversity, and is now a post doctoral researcher at GRIT Lab at the...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
David Katz is a sculpture and installation artist working primarily with ceramics and unfired clay and a Critic in the Ceramics department at RISD. He presented a site-specific installation in the Nature Lab's bone room titled Structure and Growth. This installation was part of "What Fire Does", an Earth...
Art as Infrastructure for Coastal Resilience and Education
This Saturday, June 18th, a group of designers and scientists will be installing sculptural forms in the intertidal zone at India Point Park. The forms were developed by a group of students, faculty and scientists with NSF EPSCoR funding with the goal of improving sustainability of local shellfish populations and protecting coastal habitat from he impacts of sea level rise. The community is encouraged to...
The Design Science Symposium is an interactive meeting of makers, thinkers, practitioners, and educators. This year's focus is STEAM Intelligence: multidisciplinary thinking that relies on actively integrating and applying Science,...
Chace Auditorium
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR’s 2016 inaugural Annual Research Symposium will take place Thursday, April 14th at the University of Rhode Island Narragansett Bay Campus.
The event will feature panel presentations on interdisciplinary research collaborations and a poster session of marine life science and climate change research by faculty, researchers, and students, funded by RI EPSCoR and the RI Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC).
Panel discussions include "The Nature...
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
215 S Ferry Rd
Narragansett, RI — 02882
Come celebrate with us in this student-led fundraising event to purchase a new companion specimen for our Mouse Deer.
We are not sure if it is the big eyes, its frail looking legs or the overall smallness of this deer but this specimen's charisma just keeps growing and so does the number of students contributing to this event. Join us and be surprised by the many mouse deer inspired items for sale, artworks and baked goods.
Opening and bake sale Monday 25th at...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
The whale is the ultimate shape-shifter: from creation myth to industrial resource and ecological emblem, it has become what ever we want it to be. In the fluid, psychic disjuncture of the meeting of natural history and human history, no other animate...
Metcalf Auditorium, RISD Chace Center
20 North Main Street
Providence, RI — 02903
Recognized as one of the foremost origami artists in the world as well as a pioneer in computational origami and the development of formal design algorithms for folding, Dr. Lang wowed a sold-out audience in...
RISD’s Waterman Building
13 Waterman Street
Providence, Rhode Island — 02903
As a science and natural history resource situated in an art and design school, the Nature Lab provides numerous research and collaboration opportunities to students.
