Olin Outdoor Observatory
Project Description:
The area behind Olin Hall on the JHU Homewood campus serves as a stormwater retention basin that is currently quite inaccessible and overgrown with invasive species and. Our design, the Olin Outdoor Observatory, aims to transform this area into an immersive experience through which students can actively engage with the environment. Not only will the observatory contain a traditional classroom for instruction, but it will also serve as an interdisciplinary research hub. The area will include various sensors to measure water quality, air quality, soil moisture, water flow, and other such criteria. These measurements will be uploaded to a web portal that is available to Hopkins faculty and students. The main goal of the outdoor observatory is to create a space that is both accessible for students and makes the environment accessible – encouraging a new kind of learning experience and cultivating a greater appreciation for the environment among the Hopkins community.
Project Photo:
This photo shows our project site adjacent to Olin Hall.