SERC Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

About SERC Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) provides science-based knowledge to meet critical environmental challenges. SERC leads objective research on coastal ecosystems—where land meets the sea—to inform real-world decisions for wise policies, best business practices, and a sustainable planet.

Our strategic and master plans seek to discover solutions to unprecedented environmental impacts and change in the Anthropocene Period – the age of humans – which urgently require pragmatic management decisions based on sound science.

We seek to inform, educate and engage people in science-based solutions for the environment:

Nationally and internationally recognized intern, graduate and post-doctoral student programs train the next generation of research scientists and natural resource managers. Participatory science to gather new data and to engage them in the process of using science effectively for answers. Public programs and K-12 field trips and activities about SERC science and how it relates to their communities.