Our lab/studio pursues creative, interdisciplinary approaches of research and scholarship, focusing on the application of system ecology on creating and restoring wetlands, rivers and green infrastructure. Our general theme expands into projects relating to ecological sustainability and ecosystem service restoration.  We have investigated “design elements” that can be incorporated and managed into creating and restoring wetland ecosystems and their services to humanity.  We also study to test alternative scenarios for a variety of ecosystem restoration projects. This also involves processes of research in biogeochemistry (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), soil and plant ecology, ecosystem modeling, and molecular microbial ecology.

 

Our lab is also committed in ecological science communication, which involves strong inter-disciplinary collaboration, especially with art, engineering, and film/media.  I have created and directed the EcoScience + Art lecture series as part of this effort. This later part is rather a recently added mission of our group as reflected in the “studio” part of the title. We aim to create and nurture a “diverse” group of talents and efforts working collaboratively.

 

We strive to integrate our research and its communication across the disciplinary boundaries in academia.

 

We also intend to apply our research outcomes in pedagogical and educational innovations in the context of higher education.