Join us on Thursday, February 19th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm to learn about the Boston Harbor Waterfront Visitation and Equity Study in our Stone Living Lab Seminar featuring Christian Merfeld, Communications Director at Boston Harbor Now and Ford Fishman, Research Integration Consultant at North Carolina State University.
Join us on Thursday, February 19 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm for our Stone Living Lab Seminar to learn about Boston Harbor Now’s Waterfront Visitation and Equity Study (WaVES). In this seminar, project lead Christian Merfeld and data analyst Ford Fishman share their experience and insights on the project.
Boston Harbor Now’s Waterfront Visitation and Equity Study (WaVES) is a landmark research effort combining four years of state-wide mobility data, decades of community insight, and novel research methodology and advanced technologies to understand who Boston’s waterfront serves and where gaps in access persist, bridging research and practice to move stakeholders from insight to action across climate resilience, access, and stewardship of Boston Harbor.
This seminar is free to all and will be hosted on Zoom. Stay tuned for registration details!
About Christian
Christian Merfeld is the Communications Director at Boston Harbor Now, where he has led public messaging, outreach, and brand strategy for nearly 14 years, helping institutions and communities adopt new ways of thinking about public space, data, and equity. His work focuses on translating complex ideas and emerging technologies into clear, usable tools that support better decision-making and public trust, including the creation of the Boston Harborwalk webtool, a public resource that translates hundreds of Chapter 91 state licenses into a user-friendly interface. Christian also led the Waterfront Visitation and Equity Study (WaVES), a first-of-its-kind effort combining mobility data, community insight, and research methodology to understand who Boston’s waterfront serves and where gaps in access persist, bridging research and practice to move stakeholders from insight to action across climate resilience, access, and stewardship of Boston Harbor. Christian has his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and lives on the Dorchester waterfront with his husband and animals.
About Ford
Ford Fishman is a Research Integration Consultant at North Carolina State University in the Office of Information Technology. Previously, he worked as a Data Analysis Specialist in the Brandeis University Library, where he connected with Boston Harbor Now (BHN) as a data analysis consultant. In this role, he wrangled and analyzed data, created visualizations, and wrote summary reports that BHN used to produce the Waterfront Visitation and Equity Study. Ford is passionate about connecting groups with the tools and resources they need to produce quality data analysis projects. He has a background in microbial ecology and evolution, with an M.S. in Biology from Indiana University.