A look into 'living labs' on campus

By Kendall Sternberg, University Marketing and Communications
Tuesday
A red “Go with the flow” QR-code sign stands in a landscaped gravel garden beside rocks, trees, a water catchment basin, and a curving paved path, creating a serene mood.

Green stormwater infrastructure water catchment basins, like this one, help manage stormwater on campus. Basins are located around Old Main, Gould Simpson and the Physics and Atmospheric Sciences building.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Living Lab

A walk across the University of Arizona campus can reveal more than classrooms, laboratories and academic buildings. Parts of the landscape itself are being used to test ideas, collect data, teach students and explore more sustainable ways of using university resources. 

For Vanessa Buzzard, research scientist and manager of the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Living Lab, the campus is an especially useful place to study how water moves through the landscape. 

Desert landscape after rain, with water flowing between rocks and gravel, shaded trees, palms, and apartment buildings in the background.

Completed in 2022, GSI's rainwater harvesting systems were installed at Gould Simpson to support the establishment of the Arboretum's Resilience Garden.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure Living Lab
Harnessing stormwater  

“Campus has been a space where we can really explore different methods for sustainability,” Buzzard said. 

The Green Stormwater Infrastructure Living Lab grew out of a water-harvesting course in which students built stormwater systems. Today, there are more than 100 green stormwater infrastructure features across campus, many of which can be easy to overlook. 

“We wanted to highlight that this is an active and functioning landscape,” Buzzard said. 

The living lab focuses on three sites near Old Main, Gould-Simpson and the Physics-Atmospheric Sciences building. Each represents a different type of landscape and stormwater system. Underground sensors measure temperature and soil moisture, while small weather stations track local rainfall and microclimate conditions. 

The data allows students and researchers to study how stormwater moves through campus and explore how green infrastructure can reduce runoff and supplement irrigation. 

“It’s a really great opportunity for students to play with data,” Buzzard said. 

The work also extends beyond main campus. Research at the Campus Agricultural Center, part of the Southern Arizona Experiment Station, examines how basins designed to collect and slow water can affect the growth and establishment of young trees. 

A living lab is a place to learn 
Sunset over a garden with a sunflower in the foreground, a glass greenhouse to the right, and a red-roofed gazebo surrounded by trees. Warm, peaceful ambiance.

The University of Arizona Community Garden is a multifunctional space where community members can gather, learn gardening tips from one another, grow food and explore sustainable gardening practices.

Office of Sustainability

Not every U of A living lab is centered on collecting research data. 

Nat Schwark, community compost and garden coordinator with the Office of Sustainability, said they were surprised to learn how broad the concept is. 

“I thought it had to be something that conducts research,” Schwark said. “But living laboratories are actually more focused on real-world applications for new ideas, community services or ecosystem services.” 

The U of A Community Garden, located at 1400 East Mabel St., is one example. Originally brought to life by students in 2011, the garden provides a space for learning, experimentation and community connection. 

Students, faculty and community members can use the garden as a classroom, participate in tours and get hands-on experience with practices such as composting and sustainable gardening. The garden features student-inspired projects, including a rainwater-harvesting cistern that can store up to 28,000 gallons, and serves as a drop-off location for FoodCycle at Home, the city of Tucson's free composting service. 

A large cylindrical metal water tank painted with a mural of a desert landscape and the words U of A Community Garden surrounded by lush plants and blooming flowers

At the Community Garden, a large cistern captures an estimated 100,000 gallons per year of rainwater that runs off the nearby Highland Avenue Parking Garage roof. The stored rainwater is used to irrigate the garden, helping grow fruit, vegetables and other plants.

Han Choi/Office of Sustainability

The garden is open to both the U of A and Tucson communities. Many of the long-term gardeners are community members or faculty who have tended their plots for years, while newer participants are still developing their skills. That creates opportunities for gardeners to learn from each other. 

“I’ve seen folks copying what the more experienced gardeners are doing, and their plots start to become a lot more productive,” Schwark said. “It’s very cool to see the different levels of skill and how they can lean on each other to become stronger.” 

For Schwark, those relationships are an important part of sustainability. 

“Being able to connect with the Tucson community, having that space where Tucson residents can interact with faculty and students and learn from each other, I think is a great way to build a community,” Schwark said. 

Living labs show that learning on campus does not always happen inside a classroom or traditional laboratory. Sometimes, it happens in a stormwater basin, a garden bed or wherever the university can turn ideas into real-world practice.