The Public Waterscapes Research Group (PWRG)

The Public Waterscapes Research Group (PWRG), led by Dr. Bryce DuBois, examines the social, cultural, and political dimensions of water landscapes, spaces and places, especially urban beaches and rivers. Through an engaged and interdisciplinary social-science research approach, we explore how people understand, access, and shape waterscapes as public spaces. Currently we work on the following topics, with additional graduate-student led research in development:

Cultural Ecologies of Coastal Public Space

• Beach politics and critical climate adaptation: Long-term ethnographic project focused on the intersections of climate adaptation and the racialization of Rockaway, Queens.
• Shorebird conservation and urban public beaches: Investigating the socioracial and cultural dimensions of plover conservation on urban public beaches on the Eastern US.
• Coastal access as a food equity and well-being issue: Collaborative, community-engaged research with marginalized, ethnicized and racialized communities, seeking to understand coastal access and self-provisioning practices on New England shores.

Social Considerations of River Restoration

• Collaborative project developing and documenting interventions that incorporate social dimensions into dam removal and fish passage efforts.

Graduate Projects

Graduate Thesis Title: Cooking up a Solution: Chefs on the Frontline of Invasive Species Management

This study examines why chefs serve invasive species and their experiences in doing so through semi-structured interviews and an explorative case study. This research investigates opportunities and barriers in using invasive species in culinary settings, providing insights that can aid policy development and support chefs interested in consumptive-based management.

Graduate Thesis Title: Community Outreach and Social Dimensions in the Potter Hill Dam Removal Effort

This research examines how community engagement, public outreach, and social values influence the decision-making process surrounding the Potter Hill Dam in Westerly, Rhode Island. Using a qualitative analysis of archival materials, town council meeting records and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholder representatives, this study addresses a specific need to understand how outreach practices communicate and represent social complexities in river restoration efforts.