We have arrived at the end of our experience here on Nantucket. Posters and final presentations went well, but overall the program has been a smashing success! We have gained a wealth of knowledge in not only environmental science, but life as well. We thank everyone who had a hand in making our time on island exceptional.
LivingLabs will be on hiatus this summer, but we will be back with a new cohort in the Fall. Look for us then. Or, maybe just watch out 😉
Click on image to make larger
UMass Boston’s School for the Environment
Nantucket Semester: LivingLabs
Learn about the on-island science research conducted by the undergraduates during their semester here!
Student Research Poster Session: One-on-one discussions of 16 independent research projects through visual displays
Wednesday, 17 April from 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Student Research Presentation: Five Capstone research presentations ranging across human and natural systems
Thursday, 18 April from  5:00 – 8:00 PM
All free and open to the public at the Great Hall, Atheneum  – – JOIN US !
Contact Sarah Oktay for further information – sarah.oktay@umb.edu
University of Massachusetts Boston
School for the Environment
LivingLabs: Nantucket
Focus Group
You have been invited to participate in a Focus Group for a student research initiative regarding Nantucketers, Environmental Issues and how different forms of media affect attitudes and opinions.
The Focus Groups will be short (30-40min)
There will be an initial survey asking for basic demographic information (i.e. Age, Education Level, etc.)
You will then be shown 10-12 media (images, infographics, digital clips) regarding Environmental Issues
After each form of media you will be asked to answer 5 Yes / No questionsÂ
(Ex: Do you think the media you’ve seen informed your understanding of Environmental Issues with a new perspective? Yes / No)
The Focus Groups will take place at the NRTA’s Greenhound Building
(6 Washington St, Nantucket, MA)
Please choose between the date below to participate in a Focus Group:
Tuesday, 2 April, 5:30 – 6:15 PM
Wednesday, 3 April, 5:30 – 6:15 PM
Thursday 4 April, 5:30 – 6:15 PM
Your presence is greatly and graciously requested to help invigorate the spirit of environmental inquiry on Nantucket!
***
If you are interested in attending a Focus Group:
Please contact Connor McKay; Student, LivingLabs
(603) 714-5244 or Connor.McKay001@umb.eduÂ
Please RSVP at your earliest convenience/ Before the date you will attend
So far, so good! 5 weeks in and the island of Nantucket is abuzz with scientific inquiry and investigation. Us students have begun to delve deeper into our independent study projects, meaning: reading pages of text from myriad sources spanning several disciplines, meeting with local members of the community and visiting experts, and getting down and dirty in the salt marshes, on the seas, and… the dance floor at the Rose & Crown ! Personally, as the one-man communications department at LivingLab Nantucket the limits of possibility have never been so wide open. Nantucket Chronicle, a widely-read digest that functions as a nexus of community discussion, has opened a page for LivingLab where we can share the progress of journey during our time here on Nantucket. There isn’t much yet, but check back soon (and often) for more LivingLab updates [http://www.nantucketchronicle.com/nantucket-soundings/2013/livinglab-nantucket-2013]. There is definitely more to come of this.
In other news, we are rounding the corner of our Hydrology class. A traditional Environmental Science, studying the movement and distribution of water around the globe – and locally – has never seemed so poignant. With Nantucket as a subject, and resources like Mark Willett from Wannacomet Water Company, we have been able to learn and observe how the distribution of water is related to the geologic history of the island and how modern methods of water extraction can impact the essential resource of groundwater. Hydrology has proven itself to be extremely informative, and Ellen is doing a great job of sharing her passion for the subject with us.
Lastly, we saw some MIT kids at Sankaty Lighthouse on Friday with Mass DCR. I wish we had been able to connect and learn about what they are doing on the island; it would be great to collaborate together! Hope to see more academic activity on island, after we pave the way first 😉
The first ‘Sprint’ course here at LivingLab Nantucket, EcoPoetics,  is winding down with students submitting two anthologies of poems, one of personal work completed during the course and the other of poets who inspire them. Len Germinara is a passionate poet and excellent teacher and has helped a group of sorry scientists get in touch with their hearts, and show it, instead of just their brains. With charisma and pizaz Len has helped set a great academic tone hallmarked by collaboration and accessibility. Something says this is not the last we will hear of Len out here on Nantucket…
Dr. Ellen Douglas’ Hydrology class is on the menu for Monday morning and everyone is anxious to get theirs hands dirty in the name of groundwater science. The segway from art to science is expected to be jarring, so rest and relaxation are top priorities for this weekend at the house on Whalers Lane(Except for the Spelling Bee on Saturday night and a special field trip to Coatue on Sunday, follow up posts to come!). Also, in between the classes and events students have begun to delve into their independent projects, meeting with advisors and formulating abstracts to use as a launch pad into significant scientific study. Stay tuned for their posts!
In sum, LivingLab Nantucket is off to a great start with lots of potential energy becoming kinetic. It can’t be said enough but the students of the program would like to sincerely thank all persons and organizations responsibile for allowing us this opportunity, especially: Everyone at ReMain and their myriad contributions to our program and this historic town; our instructors, past, present, and future; Doctors Anamarija Frankic and Robyn Hannigan, for their tireless effort; Sarah Oktay and the Field Station, for the wealth of their knowledge; the community of Nantucket, and everyone who has contributed to the success of the program and the well-being of the students. Thank you.
My colleagues and I have hit the ground running since our landing on Nantucket last Monday. We’ve wasted no time in making a home for ourselves on Whalers Lane, becoming fast friends and creating new memories. We’ve seen some of the sites around the island, but have yet to truly explore them- mainly because the temperature is probably averaging between 5 and 15 degrees. Poetry abound, us scientists have reactivated the right sides of our brains and are now waist deep in our EcoPoetics class. Whether impromptu workshopping poems at 4 AM or meandering around the village for inspiration on a cold Winter afternoon, everyone seems to be embracing poetry as an important component of our education of the Environment. We have also made a splash in town, with a team taking 3rd at trivia night at Sea Dog’s and reading a few chapters of Moby Dick as part of a reading marathon. Things are definitely off to a good start with much more to come, including more informative/ interesting blog posts. =]
UMass Boston is proud to announce the starting of the first LivingLab Semester on Nantucket Island, January 21-April 19, 2013.
18 undergraduate UMass Boston students, and their professors, Len Germinara, Robyn Hannigan, Sarah Oktay and Anamarija Frankic.