Founded in 1937 by RISD graduate and long-time faculty member Edna Lawrence, the Nature Lab provides students and faculty with an engaging space for exploring the forms, patterns and processes in nature as well as an understanding of our place within the living world. It is a forum, sustained by resources and expertise that inspires countless art and design projects throughout RISD.
With more than 80,000 preserved natural science specimens, microscopy and micro-imaging systems unparalleled in an art and design school, and aquatic systems and lab equipment for maintaining and studying a variety of living and non-living specimens, the Nature Lab is a unique environment for investigating the myriad connections between art, design and science.
Staff
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Jennifer Bissonnette
Director
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Kaytee Canfield
Regenerative Programs Manager,
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Mary Connell
Imaging Lab Assistant
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Lea Fabre
Nature Lab Coordinator
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Benedict Gagliardi III
Biologist and Collections Manager
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Ava Handley
Nature Lab Coordinator
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Laura Kenney
Operations & Engagement Coordinator
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Georgia Rhodes
Visualization and Imaging Research Manager
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Jessica Smith
Nature Lab Hyundai Motor Group Biodesign Fellow