Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Attention all adventurers and volunteer scientists! The excitement was so incredible during our last collection event that we just couldn't resist doing it all over again on October 2nd, 2023. Prepare for another extraordinary opportunity to contribute to NASA's Chesapeake Water Watch program. Once more, we'll have two high-resolution satellites, Landsat-9 and Sentinel-2a, gracing the skies above the Chesapeake Bay. Join us once more on this exhilarating quest for scientific discovery and a sustainable future!

Join us for this year's first Dig Day with the SERC Environmental Archaeology Lab! Help us excavate sites on our campus in Edgewater, Maryland, where you'll have the chance to work together and with researchers to do a variety of tasks, including sieving sediment and washing/sorting artifacts. 

Experience an insider's view of SERC on one of our free public tours. Learn about SERC’s long-term environmental research on marshes, trees, water quality, and the impacts of carbon dioxide on our land, water, and air.

Speaker: Dr. Jessica Fanzo, Director of the Food For Humanity Initiative, Columbia University Climate School

Experience an insider's view of SERC on one of our free public tours. Learn about SERC’s long-term environmental research on marshes, trees, water quality, and the impacts of carbon dioxide on our land, water, and air.

Experience an insider's view of SERC on one of our free public tours. Learn about SERC’s long-term environmental research on marshes, trees, water quality, and the impacts of carbon dioxide on our land, water, and air.

This Halloween weekend, grab your running shoes and favorite post-apocalypse T-shirt for SERC’s first-ever zombie dash! Make your way through 5 kilometers of zombie-infested trails, while trying to avoid the volunteer zombies jumping out from the trees. For younger racers, we’ll have a zombie-free 1k with post-run trick or treating. Costumes optional….just don’t forget to bring your brain.

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) welcomes interested undergraduates and those who recently earned their associate and bachelor’s degree, for our 2024 summer internship virtual information session! This is your chance to learn about the exciting opportunities you could be a part of next summer as you work alongside scientists, educators, and mentors on some of the most profound environmental issues challenging our world today. Learn about the internship application process, meet interns, and get your questions answered.