Where People and Environment Connect

Mission

The mission of the Keck Lab is to serve as the region’s focal point for investigation into environmental and sustainability solutions for a changing world. We fulfil this mission by:

• Supporting instruction and research associated with environmental programs -at William & Mary, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, their collaborators, and,
• Promoting and supporting the development of environmental initiatives and literacy, and,
• Engaging our community through environmental education and outreach. 

Setting

Located in the College Woods on the shore of Lake Matoaka and within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Keck Lab offers students and faculty an array of research environments right on their doorstep: tidal and freshwater wetlands, forests, streams, stormwater ponds, and a lake.  Pristine second growth forests and streams arising from an ecological preserve can be contrasted with terrestrial and aquatic systems altered from changes in land and water use in the surrounding region, including habitat loss, erosion, pollution, and exotic species invasion. The impacts of human activities and adaptations of ecological communities can be measured directly in environmental, economic, and social contexts as they transmit through the watershed.  

Venue

The Keck Lab is an academic venue for hands-on investigation of issues within the increasingly complex and interdisciplinary world of environmental studies. Our 5,500-square-foot facility houses a 24-seat teaching lab, a mud room for processing field-collected samples, a dry lab equipped with chemical hoods and apparatus for analytical work, a walk-in cold room for sample storage, a media room for small classes and focus groups , a seminar/conference room, and administrative offices equipped with a poster printer.  Whether collecting data, analyzing results, engineering solutions, and/or communicating progress, the Keck Lab is designed to support all levels of environmental discovery and innovation.