Paulson Water Challenge and Paulson Place Challenge
The Paulson Water Challenge is a transdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, and students that conducts research to address water management issues on the Wellesley campus, using the landscape as a living laboratory, and ultimately seeking to support a more sustainable and systems-wide approach to landscape stewardship. Faculty, staff, and students who are interested in getting involved should contact us at waterchallengeadmin@wellesley.edu! See more information on the Summer 2018 experience in this Daily Shot.
The Paulson Place Challenge came about as an adaptation of the Paulson Water Challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic. Led by the same group of faculty and staff, the Paulson Place Challenge prompted student researchers to undertake place-based interdisciplinary research projects exploring trees, air quality, biodiversity, and flooding wherever they were located during the unprecedented summer of 2020.
Wellesley students from across disciplines can get involved through research projects during the academic year, the Science Center Summer Research program, and in classes such as GEOS 101 and BISC 111. Projects include understanding biogeochemical history and management of Paramecium Pond, developing water quality monitoring systems, testing rain garden designs, and improving water quality and distribution on Science Hill as it undergoes major renovations.