Field Station Open House

University of Massachusetts Boston's Nantucket Field Station invites everyone to come explore the field station during an Open House on Tuesday, August 30 from 3 to 5 p.m.  The property, generously preserved as open space by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, is home to 107 acres of pristine walking trails, vibrant marshland and harbor-front property.  And, for 48 years scientists, teachers, and students have been gathering there to study and learn in the Field Station's research lab and classrooms

The Open House will feature talks by three leading scientists who are conducting research on Nantucket, children's activities, nature walking tours and demonstrations.  It is free and open to all, and refreshments will be served.

The three brief scientific presentations will address the areas of tick research, microbial fuel cell applications, and Gray Seal populations.

Dr. Sam Telford III, Professor at Tufts University, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, has been studying ticks and tick-borne disease on Nantucket for over 30 years.  In particular, Dr. Telford studies the path in which tick-borne diseases travel between hosts.  His research helps provide key information in the prevention of tick-borne disease in humans & their pets.

Dr. Kelly Nevin, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Microbiology, together with Dr. Derek Lovely, work with an amazing species of bacteria called Geobacter, which have protein filaments that conduct electricity in ways similar to metal.  This ability gives  Geobacter bacterium the potential to fix a number of environmental issues, including the ability to remove petroleum, radioactive waste, sewage wastewater contaminants and greenhouse gasses from water, air and matter.  But the Geobacter organism also has the potential to serve as an electrical conduit for electronic devices because of its conductive properties.  Dr. Nevin studies how electrons move out of Geobacter cells during the production of electricity.  On Nantucket, she can be found in the Field Station lab examining the Field Station’s marsh and pond sediment, home to the amazing Geobacter bacteria.

Dr. Solange Brault, an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Biology, studies marine mammal and migratory bird populations as well as their environments and the impact of human activity.  She and her graduate students have conducted extensive research on pilot whales and gray seals in Cape Cod Bay and the waters surrounding Nantucket.

In addition to the talks, visitors at the Open House will be treated to guided tours of the property’s walking trails with Len Germinara, children's activities and demonstrations.

The UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station serves as home-base to educators, scientists and students located on Nantucket, as well as from all over the world.  Every year, most especially in the summer, the Nantucket Field Station offers University of Massachusetts courses for credit in areas as diverse as en plein air painting, instructional course design for teachers and coastal ecology.  The Field Station provides classroom space and research facilities as well as dormitory lodging for up to 40 people.

In addition, the Nantucket Field Station operates a summer intern program for high school and college students.  This year study topics were water quality in the island's ponds, ground water and surrounding coastal waters, whale populations aboard the Shearwater and communications and science writing.

For middle school students, the Nantucket Field Station offers a Junior Ranger program, which emphasized the natural world found at the Nantucket Field Station. Rangers helped lead Field Station nature walks and collected and documented samples of flora and fauna.  Read about their studies at the Jr. Ranger Field Notes blog (http://jrrangerfieldnotes.blogspot.com/).
Open daily year round, the Nantucket Field Station conducts guided walking tours in the summer three days a week and visitors are invited to take a self-guided walking tour year round.  Scientific research and education continues year round and, in addition, the Nantucket Field Station hosts a monthly poetry reading with Spoken Word Nantucket.

The Nantucket Field Station is a member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.  Field stations provide scientists, educators and students access to outdoor classrooms and living libraries.  Hosting a Field Station offers a community an amazing resource for unbiased scientific research and educational opportunities.