Extending beyond the boundaries of a traditional laboratory setting
The Stone Living Lab works at sites in and around the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park which are part of the traditional homelands of the Massachusett Tribe. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Greater Boston area and are active in the work of the Lab.
The Lab conducts cross-cutting research on novel approaches to climate change adaptation and extends beyond the boundaries of a traditional laboratory setting to include field sites, classrooms, board rooms, and neighborhoods. The Lab is working at several sites throughout Boston Harbor with active monitoring, pilot experiments, and community science projects. Some current examples include:
- Rainsford Island – home to a diverse range of ecosystems and terrains for full scale, in-situ testing of nature-based and hybrid systems where system performance can be fully monitored.
- UMass Boston Campus – provides Lab and classroom space to complement field research and programming and provides dock space and research vessels to transport researchers, partners, and scientific equipment. The UMass Boston campus is also the site of some of the Lab’s first pilot projects.
- Peddocks Island – potential center for community science, education programming, and community engagement. The use of Peddocks as an educational campus for place-based STEM learning is compatible with the current collaborative master planning process through Boston Harbor Now, Department of Conservation & Recreation, and National Park Service.
The Stone Living Lab is fortunate to be situated in an urban National Park with a rich history and many sites to see by land or by sea. More information can be found by viewing or clicking on the map below.
