Bard’s Center for Environmental Sciences and Humanities takes research outside the lab, connecting with grassroots efforts to protect the environment. The center’s research relies on collaborations with community members, regulatory agencies, NGOs, and these Bard College programs: Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences (ELAS), Environmental and Urban Studies, and Experimental Humanities.
Water doesn’t respect municipal boundaries, so watershed protection encourages water users to form partnerships—not only among towns and villages but also with colleges and universities. Students in the CCE-sponsored ELAS courses Land, Air, and Water engage in community-based research that has a direct impact on our local water resource: the Saw Kill. Visit the Bard Water Lab to find out more.
Colleges have remediated against racial inequalities by providing pathways toward upward mobility for blacks and other minorities. At the same time, recent disclosures by Brown and Georgetown Universities of historical connections to the slave trade exemplify the role played by institutions of higher learning in reproducing racial hierarchies. This ELAS course explores how these contradictory dynamics have manifested themselves at Bard by reviewing evolving admission policies and the experiences of alumni/ae of color.
“Community-driven science is key to successfully addressing the pressing issues surrounding access to clean water. From Flint to Hoosick Falls to Newburgh, we are daily being reminded of the importance of community members working to maintain water quality—from the tap to the treatment plant to our local waterways.” —M. Elias Dueker, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Urban Studies
This groundbreaking study is testing whether environmental interventions can prevent Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in our communities. Led by Bard College biologist Felicia Keesing and Cary Institute disease ecologist Richard Ostfeld, the Tick Project is based in Bard’s home community of Dutchess County, New York, which has one of the highest Lyme disease infection rates in the country. Residents of 24 local neighborhoods are participating in the project, which is the first to explore Lyme disease management for entire communities.