[SEMCO] Research at the Reserve Spring Series begins Thursday

[Tompkins, Laurie (DCR)]

Research Coffee House Series at Waquoit Bay Reserve returns with program on Religious Communities and the Environment

On Thursday, March 15, at 7 pm, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's Community Coffee House Series: Research at the Reserve returns with "Climate Sanctuary: Lessons learned from Waquoit Bay Reserve and Upper Cape Faith Communities about caring for the cape and each other as the climate Changes".  The featured speaker will be Lisa Greber who did her research at Waquoit as part of her PhD program at UMass Boston. Under the auspices of a NOAA/NERRs social science fellowship, Lisa had the opportunity to learn from faith leaders and faith communities about the ways their faiths touch on issues of environment and climate, and their commitments to stewardship of each other and the earth.  She will share some of the results of this research, as well as its applications in her own home estuary of Boston Harbor.


Lisa Greber works on the borders among scientific and faith communities as a researcher and educator. She has led nature and environment-oriented workshops and classes in a variety of spiritual and secular settings.  She has taught environmental science to middle and high school students, Earth Systems to an undergraduate class of architects and designers (including a biomimicry design component), and nature writing in a shelter for people who were poor or homeless.  She has led more spirit-oriented environmental workshops for environmental educators, interfaith youth groups, adults confronting strong feelings about climate change, and people living with mental health concerns, most recently as a nature chaplain intern for Ma'yan Tikvah, a Wellspring of Hope.  She is planning to soon complete her PhD in environmental sciences at UMass Boston, where she works as a Research Associate for the Green Boston Harbor Project (GBH) at the Center for Governance and Sustainability.

Each Thursday evening during the last three weeks of March, a different scientist will discuss their research at the Waquoit Bay Reserve. In addition to explaining the research they're doing, they will include personal anecdotes on how they did the science and how they feel their research will make a difference to those sitting in the audience. This series was created to help expose community members to cutting edge science in a relaxed and informal way. The interactive coffee house format helps people feel equally comfortable asking questions and joining in the discussion or just sitting back and listening to the scientists' stories of their work. Keypad polling, a device where participants can vote anonymously by selecting a number on a keypad and see the results on the screen immediately was a big hit with attendees last fall and will be used again to further engage the audience.

Doors open at 6:45 pm with a chance to view the exhibits in the visitor center and sample some homemade sweets and coffee and tea. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mug.
Admission is free. For more information, call 508-457-0495 x 107 or 108. Waquoit Bay Reserve is located at 149 Waquoit Highway (route 28), Waquoit, Massachusetts.

The next program is "Wastewater problems on Cape Cod: Do wood chips have a role in the solution?" presented by Ken Foreman of the Ecosystems Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory on March 23.  Reserve Research Coordinator Chris Weidman will wrap up the series on March 29 with "Cape Cod Storm Chasers." For more information and a downloadable flyer, go to www.waquoitbayreserve.org<http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org>







Laurie Tompkins
Event Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
P.O. Box 3092
Waquoit, MA 02536
Tel. 508-457-0495 x108
Fax 617-727-5537
www.waquoitbayreserve.org<http://www.waquoitbayreserve.org/>

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