Washington University’s Tyson Research Center provides a living landscape for environmental research and education as a component of the university’s International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (InCEES). The 2,000-acre outdoor laboratory offers important research opportunities for WashU faculty, and the space allows for unique, hands-on research and educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students related to the environment and sustainability.

Although open to a wide-variety of research projects that require open spaces, core research activities at Tyson Research Center and surrounding natural areas focus on integrating basic scientific approaches with applied problems that result from the ever-increasing footprint of human activities on the planet. Primary research focuses include ecosystem degradation, restoration, and sustainability. An important part of Tyson's mission is to provide educational benefits to WashU and other regional colleges and universities by making Tyson available as an outdoor classroom. Additionally, we aim to augment our traditional teaching with scientific outreach and K-12 educational programs, wherein we provide young, enthusiastic students with early hands-on experiences in the natural and environmental sciences.