Nantucket 101: Outdoor Classroom
by Sarah Teach
Many Nantucketers thrive on being far removed from the rest of the
world. But as much as we love the solitude and peace, there are also disadvantages
to our remote location. We pay oodles more for gasoline; our winter
produce might not be as fresh as on the mainland. Also, it is almost
impossible for year-round Nantucketers to pursue quality higher education
while on-island. Although we may not be able to slash our gas prices, several
island organizations have teamed up with University of Massachusetts
Boston in a step towards making college education achievable on
Nantucket.
This winter, Nantucket will welcome 20 University of Massachusetts
Boston undergraduates who will participate in a pilot program The Living
Lab. Open to upperclassmen majoring in Environmental, Earth & Ocean
Sciences [EEOS] or Biology, the program will span three full months, beginning
January 20, and will provide students with 16 credits. Heading up the
program is Dr. Robyn Hannigan, chairperson of UMass Boston's
Environmental Earth and Ocean Sciences Department. Hannigan says, "A
full-credit semester on Nantucket [is an idea that] UMass faculty has been
kicking around for years." However, this isn't UMass Boston's first time
instituting an on-island curriculum. On several occasions as early as the
1960s, the university has offered a program called "Semester on
Nantucket," an interdisciplinary program that included courses taught by
locals. But Hannigan wants this program to be a permanent fixture on the
island. She hopes the UMass presence here will eventually expand to
include 200 students, undergraduates and graduate, and add 20-30 UMass
faculty members to Nantucket's year-round community.
The curriculum itself will consist of five courses covering a variety of subjects, including Nantucket history, but will be based in the natural sciences.Hannigan says, "The Living Lab semester is truly integrative across
environmental disciplines and is deeply dedicated to fostering community
among the students, [as well as] between the Nantucket Community and
our common environmental future. The goal of our pilot program is to initiate
a deeply engaging environmental experience that transforms these
students and adds significant depth and breadth to their training as environmental
leaders. Within this goal are objectives that will leverage the cultural
and natural resources of Nantucket to better support science and conservation
on the island and to expand our University's presence on island
as an educational partner for all islanders." Hannigan describes the students'
day-to-day agenda: "[It] will typically involve 3-5 hours in the classroom
and an additional 2-3 hours in the field doing research or doing classrelated
work. As a 'living lab,' Nantucket provides our students will fantastic
opportunities to take their classroom knowledge outside to study environmental
phenomenon, so we expect the students to be both inside and
outside each day. As the semester progresses, their courses shift to more
outside-based research and project implementation components. The
experience is also about community building, so students will be participating
in a number of activities with the Nantucket community and also developing
environmental activities for local kids and kids at heart." Hannigan
also expresses a desire to draw UMass's attention to the Field Station. She
says, "Obviously, the 107 acres of the Field Station will be used as much as
possible." Dr. Sarah Oktay, year-round islander and Managing Director of
the UMass Boston Nantucket Field Station, is excited about the opportunities
that the program will bring to year-round residents. Oktay is hopeful
that the university will permit a proposed course called Eco-poetics, which
ties verse with ecology. If approved, island poet Len Germinara will teach
the class.
One of the central objectives for The Living Lab is that students will be able to help brand the Nantucket bay scallop. Hannigan, a geochemist, has
developed a method for ensuring a scallop's authenticity that involves testing
the mineral content of its shell. With countless reports of counterfeit
Nantucket bay scallops being sold online, of course Hannigan isn't the only
one with an interest in protecting Nantucket's scallop market. In 2010, the
Nantucket Shellfish Assoc. hired UMass Boston's Urban Harbors Institute
human influence on the health of Nantucket's bay scallops, among other
items. The Living Lab will enable students to build upon UHI's work and
hopefully develop a solid system for ensuring the market's continued success.
Another ally in this endeavor is the Nantucket Conservation
Foundation (NCF), which exists to preserve Nantucket's character through
permanent management of 9,000 acres of island land. The NCF owns the
Polpis Road property upon which the UMass Field Station sits, and has
allowed UMass to use the land. Jim Lentowski, NCF's Executive Director,
says, "The Foundation and other nonprofits across the island could benefit
greatly from good science and research being done on the island. [UMass]
finally saw the light and recognized the opportunity that exists [at the Field
Station]." He chuckles and shifts his focus to Nantucket's year-round population. "I've raised two children on the island," says Lentowski. "And I think
this is a great chance for island [youth] to get a taste of college life while
still at home in a safe environment."
"In order for the pilot program to be considered successful," Hannigan
says, "the students must demonstrate learning gains above and beyond
what they would acquire through on-campus classes. Secondly, the aim is
that the program will enrich the island's culture. And on a personal note," Hannigan confesses playfully, "I want this to be something that my peers
[look at] with envy!" The Living Lab, and the opportunities that it represents,
is a big step forward for Nantucket. Our shellfish economy is moving
forward, and the chance for us to achieve higher education on-island is
coming within our grasp.