Research into another ground.
Tufts student research approaches the campus as habitat, watershed, food system, soundscape, microclimate, social space and living laboratory.
Unmaking
Why is turf the default surface even where it serves no clear recreational purpose?
Ingrid Elena Manson González proposes converting small, infrequently used lawn areas into native meadows and identifies turf near Bromfield-Pearson as part of a potential campus habitat network.
Research: Ingrid Elena Manson González · Professor: Karen Kosinski
Leave what falls
Serena Herold examines leaf litter as habitat and nutrient infrastructure. Her proposal combines fallen leaves with native planting around existing trees and uses visible “cues to care” so lower-intensity maintenance reads as intentional.
Research: Serena Herold · Professor: Karen Kosinski
Plant for shade, wind and season
Madison Hagberg studies how species, distance and orientation change building energy performance. The larger lesson: planting location is functional, not ornamental.
Research: Madison Hagberg · Professor: Karen Kosinski
Slow water down
Rain gardens, permeable surfaces, trees and diverse native plant assemblages recur as ways to restore infiltration and reduce runoff. Soil, slope, drainage and maintenance still have to be tested at the actual site.
Research contributors: Emilia Saldaña, Penelope Kopp, Megan Mathieu and Bella Smith · Professor: Karen Kosinski
Design what can be heard
Quinn Rosenberg connects layered vegetation and insect habitat with bird diversity and human experience. Juliana Lee treats campus planting and building design as parts of bird habitat rather than separate systems.
Research: Quinn Rosenberg and Juliana Lee · Professor: Karen Kosinski
Plant landscapes people can enter
Máxima Milano links native edible species with urban foraging and stewardship. Ruby Giron-Carson’s medicinal native plant research emphasizes that culturally specific plant knowledge cannot simply be extracted and relabeled as generic educational content.
Research: Máxima Milano and Ruby Giron-Carson · Professor: Karen Kosinski