Framework for the Future

Bass Institute Director Erika Mitkus shares conversations she has begun, partnerships she has cultivated, and projects she set in motion in anticipation of the opening of the Bill ’67 and Peter ’71 Alfond Coastal Research Center.

The months since I was named the inaugural Director of the Bass Institute have brought so much excitement, knowledge, and anticipation—all before the Bill ’67 and Peter ’71 Alfond Coastal Research Center has even opened its doors!

Throughout this school year, my partners and I have been hard at work laying the framework for the projects and partnerships that will serve as the foundation for this new venture.

From the beginning, my goal for this new chapter at Govs was centered on bringing experiential and place-based learning to the forefront for our students. I’ve had conversations with the Science Department about integrating large experiential learning projects into our core disciplines, met with a local boat builder about opportunities for our students to apply trigonometric concepts to nautical construction, and sat down with students who are eager to lead the charge towards greater sustainability campus-wide— just to name a small subset of the conversations I’ve had the pleasure of participating in. I have left each with a renewed sense of purpose. I believe that the construction of the Alfond Center is a pivot point for the school. Students and faculty alike are inspired to think about new curricula that will allow students to pursue their interests, bring them into contact with outside experts, and provide a more holistic and complex picture of the real-world challenges that exist in this region—and beyond.

A concrete example of this kind of work is our growing partnership with MassBays and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. At the groundbreaking\event for the Alfond Center last June, I was introduced to Peter Phippen ’72, an integral figure in the local conservation community. Over the course of multiple conversations and site visits, Peter and I were able to discuss mutually beneficial partnerships and will be moving forward with a collaboration on microplastics data. Students in marine science, environmental science, and applied chemistry will venture onto the Parker River to collect water column samples. Then, students will learn how to process and categorize the microplastics in these local samples, eventually adding their observations to larger data sets collected from across the region. Students can use long-term data like this to observe trends and make recommendations, and I am hopeful this work will culminate in a presentation of the students’ work—and their own conclusions—to a public audience. Students will have ownership of the process from start to finish and will also become part of a larger research process, gaining firsthand experience of what it feels like to operate in a scientific network.

For the 2023–24 school year, the Alfond Center will transform from a construction site to the home of that micro plastics project, and many others like it. Until then, we will continue working hard to shape these exciting plans into reality.