This is a short overview of the main areas of SERC's operations. The buttons at the bottom of this page will take you to quick descriptions of the programs we offer.
More detailed offerings are available from the main menu buttons on the left.
SERC's scientists study a variety of interconnected ecosystems at the Center's primary research site here in Maryland, and at affiliated sites around the world. SERC is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, five miles south of Annapolis in Edgewater, Maryland, twenty miles east of Washington, D.C. Established in 1965, SERC comprises 2600 acres of land and 12 miles of undeveloped shoreline that serve as a natural laboratory for intensive long-term ecological research. The site is extremely valuable for the opportunities it provides to study the interactions of varied ecosystems in a complex landscape. SERC's director, Ross Simons, and Assistant Director, Anson Hines, lead a team of 13 senior scientists and their associates in conducting research at field laboratories located throughout the Center's forests, croplands, pastures, freshwater wetlands, tidal marshes, and estuaries. The SERC campus includes a growing complex of offices, laboratories, visiting researcher housing, and facilities for educational and public programs.