The “campus as a living laboratory” framework has been adopted by a range of educational institutions to integrate sustainability, innovation, and experiential learning opportunities. The place-based nature of this approach produces unique models for cross-campus collaboration, campus stewardship, and pedagogy. Wellesley College, a small liberal arts college set on a 500 acre campus with a diversity of landscape types, involves faculty, staff and students in projects applying the “living lab” concept with a focus on improving ecological stewardship of campus resources, building inclusive on-ramps into STEM education, and connecting students to a sense of place on campus and in nature. One initiative, the Paulson Water Challenge (PWC), created a hybrid research and course-based student program that brings together an interdisciplinary group of faculty and staff, as well as campus resource managers and outside consultants, to actively develop and apply sustainable solutions for managing campus water resources. Another living lab project focuses on the development of an environmental sensor network, as a platform to support student research, course, and work opportunities to advance ecological understanding of the built environment. Additional living labs projects are underway to integrate landscape monitoring, citizen science, and other place-based, experiential learning into the student experience.
Results/Conclusions
These living lab models are being tested and developed through an iterative process with many cross-campus partners. The PWC assessed student experience of its summer program model, and found improvements in students’ sense of identity as a scientist, ability to work in an interdisciplinary team, and connection and interaction with outdoor campus ecosystems. Student research and collaboration with multiple stakeholders has resulted in a more transparent and sustainable approach to managing the campus watershed. In partnership with the HHMI Inclusive Excellence initiative on campus, the PWC also provided a unique interdisciplinary on-ramp research experience that prioritized supporting incoming students from communities traditionally underrepresented in STEM. The development of the environmental sensor network platform has created opportunities for faculty, staff, and student engagement across disciplines, and has been used by classes, research, greenhouse management, and as co-curricular and work opportunities for students. Outcomes from this latter project are informing additional environmental monitoring infrastructure and living lab projects at Wellesley.