Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement

students in a group at the end of a trail standing with trees above and leaves on the ground.

The Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement (Collaborative/CoSEE) is a university-led research and learning unit that operates at the Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) in Saint Edward State Park (SESP). The Collaborative hosts interdisciplinary and equity-centered place-based research and learning programs in the Bothell-Kenmore-Kirkland surrounding region with a broad reach to the surrounding urban communities.

The CoSEE’s mission is accomplished through UW-partnered undergraduate field study, community-engaged research experiences and place-based creative practices, youth and family outreach, community science programs, and co-curricular partnerships with K-12 schools.

About CoSEE

The Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement (Collaborative/CoSEE) is a university-led research and learning unit that operates at the Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) in Saint Edward State Park. The EERC is a dedicated and recently renovated 2,700-square-foot facility within Saint Edward State Park, on the northeast shore of Lake Washington, and about six miles from the UW Bothell campus. The facility includes a 2,000-square-foot classroom and office space and a 700-square-foot open learning area adjacent to the indoor space. In short, the CoSEE is the people; the UW faculty, students, and staff who are responsible for the programming and operations at the EERC.

The Collaborative will build on an ongoing partnership between Washington State Parks and UW Bothell that aims to bring research, teaching, learning, and other programmatic resources of the university into community and educational contexts to the EERC’s physical space and SESP landscape.

CoSEE was approved as a UW Bothell Research Center in early 2024.

About the EERC Space

The EERC stands for Environmental Education Research Center. It is the physical space that operates at the St. Edward State Park. The Environmental Education and Research Center’s indoor facility where CoSEE operates is located in the Annex to the Saint Edward State Park Gymnasium. The EERC’s learning and gathering spaces include a multipurpose classroom, office, and outdoor learning area. The potential for this space is growing every day! My hope as the new program manager is to start hosting more events and programs for families, teachers, and community members. In short, the EERC is the physical place, the classroom, and the outdoor learning space.

CoSEE Staff

For general inquiries please email us at cosee@uw.edu.

These people are responsible for day-to-day organization, structure, and planning for the CoSEE.

Program Manager, Madeline Iem, miem@uw.edu
Faculty Director, Santiago Lopez, cslopez@uw.edu

Faculty Oversight Committee

The Faculty Oversight Committee provides oversight and decision-making on fiscal, personnel, and programmatic matters. The Leadership Team members and the chair of the Community Advisory Board are ex-officio members of the Faculty Oversight Committee.