Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) leads the nation in research on the linkages between land and water ecosystems in the coastal zone and provides society with the knowledge to meet the most critical environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Citizen Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) actively participate in novel scientific research. Citizen Scientists work with researchers to investigate a wide range of topics including colonial archeology, forest biodiversity, invasive species distributions, and water quality issues.

SERC’s laboratories, educational facilities, and main field sites are located 30 miles east of Washington, DC, 35 miles south of Baltimore, and 7 miles south of Annapolis, MD on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.