Newark Living Labs Network

10/10/2018

This Friday, the undergraduate George H. Cook Thesis student Devin Fields will be giving his presentation on the Newark Living Labs Network and its involvement in creating stewardship for Branch Brook Park.

The presentation is at the Cook Campus Center in the Multi-Purpose Room Auditorium at 3:45pm.

Feel free to stop by for the 15 minute presentation to learn more about the project, or just for support! Thank You!

09/07/2018

Halsey Festival was fun! The music was great, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere was unbeatable, regardless of the rain that shut things down early.

We only got to hand out a few brochures, but we spoke to the Greater Newark Conservancy, and would love to have a further talk with them on how they can be involved in the Newark Living Labs Network. With their help, stewardship of parks like Branch Brook Park and Weequahic Park by way of Living Labs could be even more possible. Much like the Greater Newark Conservancy; environmental education, community greening & urban agriculture, environmental justice, and job training are all goals of the Network.

Below you can check out our Brochure, and if you have any questions or want to get involved: email Devin at [email protected].

08/31/2018

This coming Thursday 9/6, we will be at Halsey Street Festival in Newark, NJ to pass out informational brochures about the Newark Living Lab Network!

If you are a faculty member attending the event, reply to this post or message us so we can come by your table and discuss your involvement with the Network!

If you know anyone who may be at the event that is currently running a field study, community garden, public event, or anything else that is a productional use of the landscape, feel free to reply to this post or message us so we can get in contact with them.

Visit the website https://halseyfest.splashthat.com/ for more information about the event. There will be food, drinks, live music, and a bunch of great people, ideas, and things that make Newark the great city it is today! See you there!

Clear your calendar for Thursday, September 6!We're shutting down Halsey from Central to New Streets with tons of activities, arts, games, food, drinks, mascots and more! Come one, come all, bring a friend, and enjoy a night and get a taste of why everyone is buzzing about Newark! This is going ...

08/24/2018

UPDATE: Today, we sat down with Professor Claus Holzapfel to talk to him about the formation of a Living Labs Network at Rutgers Newark and beyond. We previously shared his lab, titled “Wild Campus” weeks ago, by today we got to gain more information about not only the aforementioned lab, but his other work as well.

In his various labs, he touches upon Branch Brook Park to use as a comparative study site, the Meadowlands to study urban wetland ecology, and a brownfield site at Liberty State Park to study more urban ecology. These sites: wetland, park, and brownfield, provide different information about urban ecosystems in New Jersey. Some of this data, specifically pertaining to birds, is shared with the New Jersey Autobahn Society.

Claus believes in experiential learning for his students, getting them out of the classroom and on field trips to various places to teach them hands-on knowledge about ecology and environmental science. He also believes that the studies of spaces can help those spaces improve. For example, various Living Labs in Branch Brook Park can provide the Park with solutions to problems, and ideas for future planning/programming decisions.

Check out his lab “Wild Campus” on his website at the link: http://runewarkbiology.rutgers.edu/Holzapfel%20Lab/Main%20Pages/BirdsOnCampus/Birds%20on%20Campus.htm

Check out these pictures of the lab in its current state: providing amble habitat for many species and even more information about urban ecology.

08/17/2018

Living Labs as a network can stretch past city limits and national boundaries. The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) "is the international federation of benchmarked Living Labs in Europe and worldwide." This network consists of 150 active Living Labs members worldwide with 409 historically recognized over their 11 year history. They provide "co-creation, user engagement, test and experimentation facilities" that reach all topics such as energy, healthcare, and agriculture.

Their website is completely interactive, providing a worldwide map where you can select a country, specific member (aka specific Living Lab) and a specific sector (or topic). This network spans nations, proving that Living Labs are more than just new ways for students to learn, but rather a way for anyone around the world to learn, interact, and make the world a better place.

Check out their website: https://enoll.org/
Take a look at some specific Living Labs around the world using their interactive network map at this link: https://enoll.org/network/living-labs/
If you find one worth mentioning, make a post about it in this page so people can see!

The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) is the international federation of benchmarked Living Labs in Europe and worldwide. Founded in November 2006 under the auspices of the Finnish European Presidency, the network has grown in ‘waves’ up to this day.

08/13/2018

At Princeton University, their Living Lab Network titled "Campus as Lab" features numerous Living Labs on campus grounds conducted by environmental science, engineering, ecology, and art departments, as well as many others.

The specific course "Hydrometeorology" instructed by Professor James Smith focuses on "analyzing hydrologic cycles and climatology through flux and surface exchange measurements from data loggers around campus." The data acquired is used to gain insight into the impact of suburban development on different environmental parameters. More information about this lab can be found at: http://hydrometeorology.princeton.edu/

Please visit the "Campus as Lab" initiative website for Princeton Univeristy at: https://sustain.princeton.edu/lab

08/06/2018

To understand the current Living Labs at Rutgers New Brunswick, former George H. Cook Scholar and Landscape Architecture student Theresa Hyslop wrote a thesis on the matter. The goal of this paper was to display the current Living Labs at Rutgers, and how important these labs are to students, faculty, administrators and community members. This paper is a large influence to the Newark Living Labs Network, as it provides the basic and advanced information about what Living Labs are, where they are on campus, why they are so important, who partakes in Living Labs, and how they come to be.

Have a look at Theresa's 2015 George H. Cook Honors Thesis by following this link:http://livinglabs.rutgers.edu/Documents/Hyslop_LivingLabs_Thesis.pdf

Below is a sample of some of the information and graphics.

07/31/2018

Living Lab Case Studies:
Ohio State's Stone Laboratory and Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Laboratory.

Stone Laboratory is an off-campus Living Lab in Ohio ran by 65 researchers from 12 difference agencies. The goal of this lab is to provide research to help solve problems facing the Great Lakes. The first picture provided is Ohio State's interactive website that provides a pop-up for visitors to become engaged in the lab. Visit their website for more information, or to get involved: https://stonelab.osu.edu/

Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Laboratory is another off-campus Living Lab ran by Ohio State University. The goal of this lab is to provide teaching, research, and services to wetland or river related ecological/environmental studies. This lab is not only a place of research, but also a public wetland park used daily by local residents. The second picture provided is of the entire Wetland Park. Check out their website for more information: https://senr.osu.edu/research/schiermeier-olentangy-river-wetland-research-park

07/23/2018

Welcome to the Newark Living Labs Network page. The purpose of this page is to be a communication center for students, faculty, administrators, stakeholders, and residents of Newark on Living Labs throughout the city.

Please use this page to learn more about Living Labs, contact faculty in charge of current Labs, or propose new Lab ideas. When posting any existing information, make sure to attach the link for this information so visitors may learn more. Visit the Posts tab for information on current Living Labs, along with the Photos tab for visuals.

07/06/2018

A photo taken through the foliage of Professor Claus Holzapfel's "Wild Campus" Living Lab. This Living Lab consists of two large planters outside of the Norman Samuel Plaza that work as new wild habitats of various wildlife directly on-campus. From canopy to groundcover foliage, these planters provide themselves as homes for birds, small animals, and various insects.

Source: http://runewarkbiology.rutgers.edu/Holzapfel%20Lab/Main%20Pages/BirdsOnCampus/Birds%20on%20Campus.htm

07/06/2018

Within this album are pictures of the current Living Labs at Rutgers New Brunswick. Not all are represented.