Author: harvardforest

Wintersession Internships for Harvard Students Available

Posted on by harvardforest

NOVEMBER 2024 UPDATE: Applications are now closed.

Harvard Forest Wintersession Internships bring Harvard students (undergraduate and/or graduate) to the Forest in January 2025 for paid, on-site research internships. Interns will work directly with mentors on projects related to Indigenous representation, forest ecology, environmental education, and more (described below). In addition to a paid stipend, room, board, and transportation will be provided to interns at no cost. (See logistics section at the bottom of this page and carefully read each project description.)

Quick links to project descriptions below:

Project 1: Re-Centering Indigenous Perspectives in the Fisher Museum
Project 2: Long-term Temperate Forest Dynamics
Project 3: Research on the Impacts of Environmental Education
Project 4: Land Access Mapping for the Nipmuc Community
Project 5: Environmental Workforce Development Projects in Boston

Note to student applicants: Apply directly to the individual project that interests you. See required application materials at the end of each project description. To apply, submit one combined PDF file including all of the requested application materials to the posting in the Crimson Careers portal or directly to Ben Goulet-Scott by the end of the day on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Project 1: Re-Centering Indigenous Perspectives in the Fisher Museum

Mentored by Nia Holley, Nipmuc Community Mentor; Tyler White, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Emily Johnson, Harvard Forest Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator; and Clarisse Hart, Harvard Forest Director of Education and Outreach

The Harvard Forest Fisher Museum has been a source of academic understanding of the natural history and landscape change of the Northeast US for generations. The primary 7 historical dioramas in the Museum center a narrative of transformation of the land by European settler-colonists, establishing a seemingly objective history of land management across the region. Excluded from this narrative is the Indigenous history, the perspective of animals and other non-human beings, and the contribution of labor (culturally stewarded, or forced by colonial powers) in shaping the many productive, scientific, and cultural components of the land. A new grant from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services will support the creation of a new exhibition, Perspectives from Other Beings (explore the funded proposal here), led by Nipmuc community member Nia Holley and Harvard GSD student Tyler White, to disrupt and expand this narrative with a perspective that de-centers the colonial period as the primary pivot point for modern ecosystem function.  The intern on this project will conduct research to contribute to a new type of Fisher Museum interpretation (primarily digital) that will begin to reveal the consequential land legacy of Indigenous peoples and uplift the role of Indigenous stewardship on the land today.

The selected student will support the Curatorial Council in three critical areas of the research and engagement strategy for the Perspectives from Other Beings exhibition.

Curatorial Research:

  1. Historical research understanding the conception, production, and intended use of the Fisher Museum dioramas in the 1930s
  2. Conducting research (based on traditional ecological knowledges that are shared with free, prior, and informed consent) into the life histories of several more-than-human species in this region
  3. Collecting examples of contemporary design and art practice by Indigenous (to Turtle Island) land artists and stewards in reclaiming Indigenous histories of land stewardship
  4. Regional investigation of historical land-settling processes, industries, economies, and cultures over the past several millennia

Engagement Strategy:

  1. Create a short list of questions for the Curatorial Council’s spring interviews with Indigenous community members and artists for the production of exhibition content
  2. Work with the Curatorial Council to contact Indigenous community members and artists (by phone, email, and in-person visits) to contribute to exhibition

Successful candidates will possess a combination of the following skills/experiences:

  • Experience organizing written and multimedia information into a searchable resource folder
  • Experience working as part of a team
  • Strong oral and written communication skills
  • Experience (or just interest!) in museum exhibition praxis
  • Commitment to working respectfully and with an understanding of free, prior, and informed consent on projects related to Indigeneity and Indigenous land
  • Experience conducting interviews (in community organizing, journalism, or the social sciences) a plus but not required
  • An understanding of Indigenous history and kinships on Turtle Island (particularly the Eastern Woodlands) is preferred

To apply, please submit a combined PDF file to Ben Goulet-Scott by the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 4 that includes:

  • A resume that includes your contact info, study concentration, and graduation year, plus a list of 3-5 relevant courses you have taken, and 3-5 relevant jobs or activities you have had
  • Contact info for two academic or professional references
  • A 250-500-word statement of interest exploring these questions:
    • Why do you think this internship would be a valuable opportunity for your growth?
    • What about your background would make you a good fit for this position?
    • What would success look like for you in this internship?

Project 2: Long-term Temperate Forest Dynamics

Mentored by Danelle Laflower, Harvard Forest Research Assistant; Jonathan Thompson, Harvard Forest Senior Ecologist; and Audrey Barker Plotkin, Harvard Forest Senior Ecologist

 Forest ecosystems responses to disturbance unfold over decades, but datasets spanning long timescales are rare. We are seeking an intern to collaborate on an analysis of a unique dataset documenting forest change within a network of permanent field plots established in 1960 across the 23,000-hectare Quabbin Watershed in Central Massachusetts, just west of the Harvard Forest. We are interested in quantifying and describing long-term changes in tree demographics, forest structure, and carbon uptake among sites with varying tree species and management history. After 1-2 days of field work to get familiarized with the forests and the sampling design, the intern will assist with data analysis and visualization using the R statistical programming language. There is an opportunity to stay involved with the project and help co-author a peer-reviewed journal article.

Successful candidates will possess a combination of the following skills/experiences:

  • Interest in forest ecology, ecological data analysis, and data visualization
  • Willing to spend limited time in the forest doing winter fieldwork (Harvard Forest can help to provide wintertime gear for safety and comfort in cold conditions)
  • Must have previous experience analyzing and visualizing data, preferably using the R Statistical Software

To apply, please submit a combined PDF file to Ben Goulet-Scott by the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 4 that includes:

  • A resume that includes your contact info, study concentration, and graduation year, plus a list of 3-5 relevant courses you have taken, and 3-5 relevant jobs or activities you have had
  • Contact info for two academic or professional references
  • A 250-500-word statement of interest exploring these questions:
    • Why do you think this internship would be valuable for your academic career?
    • What about your background would make you a good fit for this position?

Project 3: Research on Environmental Education

Mentored by Katharine Hinkle, Harvard Forest Manager of Youth Education; and Clarisse Hart, Harvard Forest Director of Education and Outreach

During the academic year of 2024-2025 the Schoolyard Ecology team at Harvard Forest is conducting an evaluation on the efficacy of our K12 participatory science program. Over 100 students in our program took a presurvey evaluating their environmental awareness and Science identity. They will take a post survey at the end of the academic year. We are seeking an intern who is interested in qualitative sociological and educational research. Interns will learn the fundamentals of human subject research and gain their CITI certification. They will process survey results and learn analysis skills as well as continuing a literature review for the study.

Successful candidates will possess a combination of the following skills/experiences:

  • Interest in education research
  • Experience working with spreadsheets

To apply, please submit a combined PDF file to Ben Goulet-Scott by the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 4 that includes:

  • A resume that includes your contact info, study concentration, and graduation year, plus a list of 3-5 relevant courses you have taken, and 3-5 relevant jobs or activities you have had
  • Contact info for two academic or professional references
  • A 250-500-word statement of interest exploring these questions:
    • Why do you think that this internship would be a valuable opportunity for your growth as a scientist?
    • What do you hope to learn/gain from this experience?

Project 4: Land Access Mapping for the Nipmuc Community

Mentored by Cheryll Holley, Hassanamisco Nipmuc Community Mentor; Jose Ite Santana, Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Community Mentor; Emily Johnson, Harvard Forest Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator; and Clarisse Hart, Harvard Forest Director of Education and Outreach

With active citizens across several bands, the Nipmuc are the ancestral stewards of central Massachusetts, including Harvard Forest’s 4,000 acres. Increasingly, land stewardship organizations have granted the Nipmuc and other Indigenous peoples access to land for cultural uses. However, information about these easements or agreements is not centrally located or clearly accessible to all Nipmuc people. This project will effectively collate land access information into educational resources that will increase awareness across the Nipmuc community. Using Google My Maps or a similar program for their final product, the interns will organize and identify missing data, create an interactive map, design printed educational resources such as maps and address lists, and present their findings to Nipmuc leadership.

Successful candidates will possess a combination of the following skills/experiences:

  • Experience organizing quantitative and qualitative data into Excel spreadsheets
  • Strong oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and problem-solve
  • A strong background understanding New England’s Indigenous history is preferred
  • Experience working with georeferenced mapping data (e.g., .gpx, .kml) is preferred
  • Experience using Google My Maps or a similar program is preferred, but not necessary

To apply, please submit a combined PDF file to Ben Goulet-Scott by the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 4 that includes:

  • A resume that includes your contact info, study concentration, and graduation year, plus a list of 3-5 relevant courses you have taken, and 3-5 relevant jobs or activities you have had
  • Contact info for two academic or professional references
  • A 250-500-word statement of interest exploring these questions:
    • Why do you think this internship would be a valuable opportunity for your growth?
    • What about your background would make you a good fit for this position?

Project 5: Environmental Workforce Development Projects in Boston

Mentored by Ann Lewis, Harvard Forest staff and H&LS RP Grant Project Director

A Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Reparative Partnership Seed Grant for FY 2025, “The Environmental Workforce Development Grant”, helps the grantees (Urban American Outdoors, Inc./SODAS Life, and Ann Lewis) to develop relationships with Boston community organizations to determine which are most capable and interested in working with the grant awardees to design a sustainable environmental workforce development program for implementation in FY 2026. We have organizations with which we are initiating talks, but to be most effective in the long run, we need to know what programs are operating in Boston, what their mandates are, and how they function. The Wintern will complete web-based research and make telephone calls to identify all of the green or environmental workforce development programs that operate with Boston City Limits and their mandates. Ideally, the student may also be able to suggest organizations with which we do not yet communicate, but that we should be considering.

Successful candidates will possess a combination of the following skills/experiences:

  • An interest in workforce development and/or social justice
  • Ability to think critically and quickly and to be incisive while talking with people in a friendly formal manner
  • Ability to summarize web and verbal information quickly in written form
  • A good telephone manner

To apply, please submit a combined PDF file to <bgoulet@g.harvard.edu> by the end of the day on Monday, Nov. 4 that includes:

  • A resume that includes your contact info, study concentration, and graduation year, plus a list of 3-5 relevant courses you have taken, and 3-5 relevant jobs or activities you have had
  • Contact info for two academic or professional references
  • A 250-500-word statement of interest exploring these questions:
    • Why do you think this internship would be valuable to your short- or long-term life goals?
    • What experience(s) do you have that might be useful for working on this project?

Logistics for All Internship Projects

  • Program dates: Wednesday, January 8, 2025 through Friday, January 24, 2025, with MLK Day off (84 total hours of work)
  • Interns will be paid a one-time stipend of $1920 (undergraduates) or $2112 (graduate students) at the conclusion of the internship.
  • Interns will live on site at Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA and work full-time (35 hrs/wk).
  • Room and board are provided at no cost to the intern. Interns are housed in a small farmhouse dorm on the Harvard Forest campus, with students in single or shared (double and triple) bedrooms and shared common areas.
  • Interns will cook their own meals in the dorm kitchen and be driven to the local Market Basket grocery store weekly to obtain groceries (funded by Harvard Forest) for those meals.
  • Transportation between Harvard Square and Harvard Forest at the beginning and end of the program is provided cost-free as part of the internship. Students who have their own cars are welcome to bring them (we will reimburse your mileage between Harvard Square and Harvard Forest at the beginning and end of the program).
  • Harvard Forest is located in a remote area (Petersham, Massachusetts is a rural town of 1,000 people), 70 miles west of the main Harvard campus. Public transportation is not available here. Interns’ work and free time will be spent here on the quiet Harvard Forest campus, unless they have their own car.
  • Harvard University wifi is available throughout campus, including the dorm.
  • Interns are given their own desk in a shared office workspace in the main HF building and all necessary supplies.
  • Interns can expect daily or near-daily check-ins with their project mentors – but there also will be a strong expectation for independence and self-motivation in the work. The full intern cohort will be offered a weekly guided field trip to explore the local landscape. For your free time, there are many hiking trails at Harvard Forest and we will provide snowshoes for those who would like to use them.
  • Harvard Forest has a Code of Conduct that everyone working and living here is expected to follow.
  • Harvard Forest is a department of Harvard University, so all relevant university policies, including COVID protocols, are in place here.
  • The Harvard Forest welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation for the application process or have questions about the physical access and resources provided on-site, please contact us at hfvisit@fas.harvard.edu. 

To Apply

See required application materials at the bottom of each project description, above. All applications are due to the posting in the Crimson Careers portal or directly to Ben Goulet-Scott by the end of the day on November 4, 2024. Please note: Applications are now closed.

Read highlights about the work of our January 2024 interns, January 2023 interns, and January 2022 interns.

New Grant to Center Indigenous Voices and Values in Harvard Forest's Fisher Museum

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Harvard Forest was recently awarded an Inspire! Grant for Small Museums from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to support the development, design, installation, and evaluation of a new multimedia exhibit to center the voices and values of the Nipmuc people, the tribe Indigenous to the land occupied by Harvard Forest.

The Fisher Museum, which includes seven dioramas that depict landscape change beginning at the time of European colonization, continues to perpetuate a narrative of race-based harm and erasure. In collaboration with the Nipmuc community, the new content will seek to disrupt this systemic erasure through highlighting the Indigenous stewardship legacies that define the land today and offer resilience to the land of tomorrow.

Image shows a series of Fisher Museum dioramas depicting land use change since European colonization.

The two-year grant, entitled Re-Centering Indigenous Perspectives in the Fisher Museum, will be led by artist-curators Nia Holley, artist and community organizer (Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band), and Tyler White, Graduate Student (Harvard Graduate School of Design). This project will be an extension of their work developing Harvard Forest’s new interpretive trail, To Be Seen: Manchage Manexit Reflective Trail. The work will be supported by Clarisse Hart, Director of Outreach & Education, and Emily Johnson, Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator. Video Editing support will be conducted by Roberto Mighty of Celestial Media LLC.

Learn more about the grant here.

October 3 & 4: Yadvinder Mahli to Present Bullard Lectures

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The Harvard Forest and the Harvard University Center for the Environment are delighted to co-present the second Charles Bullard Lectures featuring Dr. Yadvinder Mahli CBE FRS1, Professor of Ecosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, and Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College, University of Oxford.

The annual Charles Bullard Lectures were established by the Harvard Forest in 2022 to honor and learn from renowned scholars of forest ecology and conservation. The Lectures are supported by the Charles Bullard endowment and are closely associated with Harvard’s long-running Bullard Fellowship, a distinguished scholar-in-residence program for forest research.

Tropical Forests and Planet Earth: A Macroscope View

October 3, 2024 | 5pm | Biological Labs Lecture Hall (1080), 16 Divinity Ave., Cambridge

The twin key environmental challenges of our times are to stabilise our climate system and reverse the decline of biodiversity. Tropical forests play an important role in addressing both these challenges. I explore what role tropical forests play in the Earth System and the interaction between tropical forests and climate change, highlighting some of my team’s recent research that combines detailed field data collection with satellite remote sensing. Field work and observations remain an essential component of understanding and stewarding our changing biosphere. 

Captured Sunshine: An Energetic View of Terrestrial Ecosystems | Watch recorded lecture

October 4, 2024 | 11am | Harvard Forest Fisher Museum (Petersham) and Zoom

The biosphere was first described as “a planetary membrane for capturing, storing and transforming solar energy” by Vernadsky in the early 20th century. Every living organism and organism function in the biosphere is united, and can be compared, by the cascade of captured sunshine that powers it. But beyond powerful imagery, can an energetics approach to ecosystems yield a practical contribution to understanding how increasing human pressure is altering ecological function, and be a tool for assessing effectiveness of nature recovery? This talk explores this potential with a focus on plants, birds and mammals, the best documented taxonomic groups, in the context of terrestrial ecosystems. I draw on examples from Wytham Woods, intact and logged tropical forests in Borneo, and a broad regional examination of sub-Saharan Africa. An energetic approach to understanding life an earth can yield some surprising and provocative insights into our changing biosphere.

Registration for both events is now closed.

Image shows a flyer with event information and a photograph of Yadvinder Malhi.

1 Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Fellow of the Royal Society

 

Registration Open: Harvard Community Bus Trips to the Forest

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Harvard students, faculty, fellows, and staff may sign up for one of several free monthly bus trips to visit Harvard Forest, located 70 miles west of Harvard Square.

Trips will be geared towards undergraduate and graduate students; faculty, fellows, and staff are also welcome to sign up. There is no cost.

The 4 hours spent on site will be guided by educators and scientists at the Forest, including:

  • an overview of Harvard Forest’s interdisciplinary research and education programs
  • a brief, interactive tour of the Fisher Museum
  • a ~2-mile guided field walk:
    • explore several of the Forest’s signature climate research experiments
    • optional: weather-permitting, climb a 92′ research tower 
    • learn local plant and wildlife ID
    • discuss the Indigenous and colonial history of the region 
    • discuss modern efforts in climate policy, land management, environmental education, and Indigenous community collaboration

Bus trips will depart Harvard Square at 10:00am and return to campus by 6:00pm. Attendees must bring their own lunch and snacks; Harvard Forest is a rural area and there is no way to purchase food or drinks here. 

Registration is first-come, first-served, except that new visitors will be prioritized over return visitors. Trips fill quickly, and we will keep a wait-list.

Fill out a brief survey to request registration for your preferred date:

Within 2 weeks of your filling out the form, we will send an email to confirm your registration status. In severely inclement weather, the trip will be canceled, and we will notify you ASAP.

The Harvard Forest welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Learn more about accessibility at the Forest here. If you require visitor accommodations or assistance with trail accessibility, please contact hfvisit@fas.harvard.edu or 978-724-3302, preferably at least two weeks before your visit.

Please note that we recognize the inequity of offering these trips mostly on Saturdays, which excludes some community members. In future years we will seek to work with our transportation vendor to offer Sundays, as well. If you have other suggestions about how we can make these trips more equitable, please let us know at hfOutreach@fas.harvard.edu.

We look forward to seeing you at the Forest!

Applications Open for Harvard Graduate Student Remote Internships

Posted on by harvardforest

OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE: These projects are no longer accepting applications.

Applications are now open for 2 remote, part-time graduate student internships, open to enrolled Harvard graduate students in Fall 2024. 

Graduate Student Internship: Eastern Woodlands Raptor Ecology and Indigenous Forestry

The Eastern Woodlands Raptor Ecology and Indigenous Forestry intern at Harvard Forest field station will work in fall 2024 as part of an Indigenous-led team to create research protocols for conducting raptor observational research, with a focus on the southern New England region, beginning in 2025. Leveraging Indigenous and non-Indigenous methodologies, the protocol will focus on birds of prey (particularly raptors), their habitats, and the ideal ecology that sustains them within a forested ecosystem. The foci of this study will include raptor behavior such as hunting, nesting, mating, spring and fall migrations for migratory species, as well as the health of other species in relation to raptors (rodents, aquatic species, insects, human and otherwise). Understanding the connection of water sources in forested areas is at the core of this research. The study will also include forest connections regarding tree health and tree-ring research as applicable. Utilizing Eastern Woodlands Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and cultural guidance, this study seeks to further engage the connections between sky and land worlds. This research seeks to center tribal community in the observational monitoring, bird counts, botanical plot identifications, tree identifications, etc. This research is meant to be restorative of all species. This research’s purpose is to learn the ideal natural environment in which hawks habitually use, in addition to identifying and understanding the ecological role hawks have in Eastern Woodlands Indigenous sociocultural contexts, forestry, and climate research.   

Project tasks may include:

  • Identifying potential study sites at Harvard Forest (forest, pasture, wetland systems) based on fall 2024 raptor sightings and habitat characteristics
  • Communication with nonprofit, academic, and governmental professionals (Mass. state agencies, Audubon Society, conservation orgs etc.) to pull together northeastern data on ideal hawk environments in forests – habitat, food, relation to ecology 
  • Working with GIS shapefiles to update existing geo-located raptor maps
  • Contributing to a plan for data organization/storage that centers Indigenous sovereignty
  • Writing up a research protocol and creating field data sheets for a seasonal hawk research protocol
  • Create/design signage for study observation locations

        A successful candidate will possess some or all of the following skills:

        • A passion for field research and experience within forested settings
        • Comfort with outreach to environmental organizations
        • Comfort with GIS tools and other mapping techniques 
        • Digital art (data visualization/science illustration, etc) 
        • Technical writing, with a focus on research methodology
        • Facility with Microsoft programs such as Excel
        • Experience with encrypted communications (Signal, ProtonMail) 
        • Interest in Free Pre Prior Informed Consent and practice  (learn more: https://www.fao.org/indigenous-peoples/our-pillars/fpic/en/)
        • Interest in Migratory Bird Laws and international conservation strategies 
        • Interest in Indigenous ecological sovereignty and intellectual rights 
        • Interest in counter-research, decolonial STEAM 
        • Interest in the social sciences and environmental sciences coexisting  

                            MENTORS and DETAILS:

                            Research Lead: Keshia De Freece Lawrence (M.A), Ramapough Lenape Munsee, Harvard Forest 
                            Research Mentor: Dr. Maria De Freece Lawrence, Ramapough Lenape Munsee, Rhode Island College 

                            This internship is open to enrolled Harvard University graduate students in fall 2024. The internship duration is the fall semester, for a total of 55 hours (5-6 hours per week), almost entirely remote. The position will be paid a total stipend of $1650. Tentative start date is October 7, 2024. The internship will also include two in-person day trips (transportation and meals provided) to Harvard Forest (70 miles west of Cambridge, Mass.), to be mutually scheduled by the intern and mentors after hiring. There is a possibility that this paid internship can extend into future semesters, including wintersession 2025.

                            TO APPLY:

                            Candidates interested in the raptor research internship should submit a COMBINED PDF of a resume, past project sample (map, artwork, field journal, cultural creation), and a document answering the additional questions below, via Crimson Careers online, or directly to Keshia De Freece Lawrence, Indigenous Education Specialist at kdefreece@fas.harvard.edu, by September 20, 2024.

                            ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR RAPTOR RESEARCH APPLICATION: 

                              1. What is your current major, minor or trajectory of study at Harvard? 
                              2. How does the research align with your personal and professional goals? 
                              3. What is your pedagogy for working with community scientists and Indigenous epistemology? 
                              4. Have you ever worked with Indigenous communities or Indigenous-led organizations? Y or N 
                              5. Have you ever worked with citizen scientists? Y or N
                              6. Have you had experience doing ecological research in the field before? Y or N 
                              7. Do you have experience creating research documents like research reports? Y or N  

                              Graduate Student Internship in K12 Climate Education (remote)

                              The Schoolyard Ecology Program at Harvard Forest is a nearly 20-year-old citizen science project that has engaged over 40,000 students participate in authentic data collection in their local schoolyards. We seek a graduate student to assist in the development of K-12 classroom curricular materials to support teachers and students as they engage with our custom database of student-generated data. A successful candidate will possess familiarity with national and state educational standards, and have facility with graphing and data visualization software.

                              The internship duration is the fall semester, for a total of 55 hours (approximately 5 hours per week), fully remote. The position will be paid a total stipend of $1650. Tentative start date is October 1, 2024.

                              There is an option for a day trip (transportation provided) to Harvard Forest (70 miles west of Cambridge, Mass.).

                              This internship is open to enrolled Harvard University graduate students in fall 2024.

                              TO APPLY:

                              Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume (or any questions!) directly to lead mentor, Katharine Hinkle, Youth Education Manager at Harvard Forest, at katharinehinkle@fas.harvard.edu, or via the posting on Crimson Careers, by September 6, 2024.

                              31st Annual Student Symposium Features Research Highlights, Program Accomplishments

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              On August 1, Harvard Forest hosted its 31st annual Student Symposium, marking the culminanation of nearly three months with Harvard Forest’s Summer Research Program in Ecology. Students presented their research findings to an audience of scientists, peers, and family in Harvard Forest’s Fisher Museum.

                              This year’s program gathered a diverse group of 20 students to receive training in scientific investigation and experience in long-term ecological research. Audrey Barker Plotkin directed the 2024 program with the help of Program Coordinator Ben Goulet-Scott and Program Assistant Teressa Alexander. Students worked with mentors on a variety of research projects from field and laboratory experiments to computational science. The program included weekly seminars from scientists, workshops, a career panel, and many field excursions.

                              Explore the 2024 and student abstracts and symposium program.

                              Thumbnail image shows, from left to right, students Julia Marquis and Naturi Scott with mentor Marissa Hanley. By Hannah Naughton.

                              United Nations Summit of the Future and Harvard Forest

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              The United Nations is the international governmental organization designed to foster peace, security, and cooperation around global concerns. Despite a diverse range of multilateral agreements, treaties, declarations, and mechanisms for peace building, the United Nations remains perplexed in the field of climate change and the role of the future. September 22-23, 2024 is the high-level United Nations General Assembly Summit of the Future, with two Action Days to precede the high-level summit.

                              The goal of the summit is to create a new international consensus on how to improve the present and protect the future through three critical documents:

                              1. The Declaration on Future Generations
                              2. The Global Digital Compact of the Future
                              3. The Pact for the Future 

                              With the globalization of climate research and education, tools from the United Nations such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2021 United Nations Common Agenda (Our Common Agenda) have functioned as useful guides for intersectional and cross-disciplinary dialogues. In addition, these predecessors of the summit have helped foster support for wider modes of civic, academic, and non-governmental organization participation at the United Nations.

                              Image shows Sustainable Development Goal #15, "Life on Land."
                              Image shows Sustainable Development Goal #15: Life on Land.

                              In May of 2024, Harvard Forest’s Indigenous Education Specialist Keshia De Freece Lawrence, alongside the Director Missy Holbrook and Director of Education & Outreach Clarisse Hart sought United Nations ad-hoc special accreditation for the high-level Summit of the Future. In July 2024, Harvard Forest received United Nation accreditation as a consultant for the Summit of the Future.  With Harvard Forest leading in forestry protocols while growing in traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous tribal inclusion, this opportunity and validation of climate science research is deeply powerful. In September, two representatives from the Harvard Forest Education Department will attend and consult for the Summit of the Future.

                              As this is a developing story, at the end of the Fall 24’ semester (December), Harvard Forest will be adding the appropriate United Nations documentation to the Harvard Forest Archives in commemoration of the institution’s participation in the Summit of the Future, and election of Eastern Woodlands Indigenous representatives. Please stay tuned for updates by checking the Harvard Forest main website.

                              Image shows the Manchage Manexit trail at Harvard Forest. Photo by Scott Foster (Nipmuc).
                              Image shows the Manchage Manexit trail at Harvard Forest. Photo by Scott Foster (Nipmuc).

                              Longtime Schoolyard Ecology Instructor Receives Prestigious Award

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              This summer, veteran Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology teacher Dr. Elisa Margarita, a high school science teacher at Brooklyn Technical High School, won the prestigious Muller Award for Professional Influence in Education from Math for America. Elisa was awarded $20,000 during a ceremony in Manhattan in June, with recognition for the remarkable work she has done to engage students, support colleagues, and exhibit leadership within mathematics and science communities. In addition, $5,000 was awarded to the public school where she teaches. Over the past decade, in addition to collecting vital Schoolyard Ecology data on climate and forest dynamics in an urban park with her students, Elisa has been a curriculum developer for the Harvard Forest Witness Tree project and a contributor to many ongoing STEM education research projects.

                              Learn more about Elisa’s inspiring work in Chalkbeat New York.

                              Image above shows Elisa Margarita, right, working with a student at a plant wall in her school. Image by Elisa Margarita.

                              Bullard Fellowship Program Accepting Applications, Includes New Short-Term Option

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              Harvard Forest is now accepting applications to its Charles Bullard Fellowship in Forest Research program for 2025-2026.

                              Now including a Short-Term option, Harvard University annually awards Bullard Fellowships to individuals studying forested ecosystems in a variety of related disciplines. Through Short-Term (2-3 month) or Long-Term (6-12 month) options, these full-time residential fellowships aim to foster scientific and professional growth and enhance research at Harvard Forest, promoting long-term collaborations across the University. Bullard Fellowships are intended for individuals with a record of independent scholarship and professional achievement and are not intended for recent graduates or post-doctoral fellows.

                              Learn more about how to apply here. 

                              View the listing of past fellowship recipients or learn more about this year’s Bullard Fellows.

                              The deadline for applications is October 1, 2024. 

                              Schoolyard Ecology at Harvard Forest Celebration August 13

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              August 13th: 4-6 pm at the Fisher Museum!

                              After our Research Experience for Teachers workshop on Tuesday, August 13th, please stay or come join us for a celebration of 20 years of the Schoolyard Ecology program at Harvard Forest. We will be paying tribute to the amazing research that teachers and students have done throughout the two decades of our program. All Schoolyard educators, scientists, collaborators, past, and present are most welcome for snacks, swag,  trivia, and cake!

                              Register here

                              Harvard Forest Community Remembers J. Marcos Rodriguez

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              Our community deeply mourns the loss of Juan Marcos Rodriguez, a colleague to many during his meaningful student career at the Harvard Forest. Marcos will be missed and remembered for his passion for science and the outdoors. He thrived here as an undergraduate intern in 2018, then served devotedly as a mentor to the next generation of Harvard Forest undergraduate interns for two years while he pursued his master’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Maine.

                              Schoolyard Ecology Summer Institute for Educators: August 12th-13th

                              Posted on by harvardforest

                              Have you been looking for ways to engage your students in authentic science practices that also brings them outside and engages them with climate science? Come join us this summer to train on a Harvard Forest Schoolyard project. Our Schoolyard Ecology program is currently in its 20th year of helping teachers get their students outside and seeing how climate change is affecting their schoolyards.

                              Through our citizen science projects, we empower students and the adults who support them to use science as a tool for building a relationship with the natural world, and to ultimately join the community of climate change problem solvers.

                              We support educators in building their student’s data literacy skills through free year-round professional development and coaching support.

                              — Register here —

                              Cost: Free!

                              If you are considering becoming a new educator collaborator sign up here and contact Katharine Hinkle to set up a time to talk about what is involved in being a Schoolyard Collaborator (katharinehinkle@fas.harvard.edu)

                              Monday, August 12th: Project Training Deep Dives (Choose 1)

                              • Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Invasive Species Monitoring Study
                              • Our Changing Forests Study
                              • Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming Phenology Study

                              Tuesday, August 13th: Dendrochronology! 

                              • Come learn from two educators in our Schoolyard Community what they learned this summer embedded in the Tree Ring Lab at Harvard Forest and get trained on their tool kit that they created to tell the stories of climate that our Northeast trees tell.

                              After our Research Experience for Teachers workshop on Tuesday, August 13th, please stay (or come join us) for 20 Years of Schoolyard Celebration! From 4-6 we’ll celebrate all of our educators and all of the amazing research that Schoolyard educators and students have done throughout the two decades of our program. All Schoolyard educators, past and present, are most welcome for snacks, swag, trivia, and cake!

                              Important details:

                              • Both workshop days are 9 am-3:30 pm 
                              • All workshops at the Fisher Museum, 324 N. Main Street, Petersham, MA
                              • Bring your own bagged lunch
                              • Optional additional trail walks each day
                              • Dress for spending time outside
                              • Overnight accommodations available for folks traveling long distances
                              • Reach out with questions to Katharine Hinkle (katharinehinkle@fas.harvard.edu)