As the fall semester gets into full swing, it’s quite easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of classes, readings and extracurriculars. But for the Wellesley community, there’s a new way to escape from it all and reconnect with nature. Nestled by the Science Center and in front of Clapp Library near Severance Green, two new swings are at home and ready for the Wellesley community to enjoy. 

These swings are the result of a semester-long interdisciplinary project by Shreeya Lakkapragada ’26, and a story of inspiration, lots of yeses and collaboration. After learning that a friend at Lafayette College installed swings on her campus through a start-up, Lakkapragada wondered why Wellesley didn’t have more swings too. After a conversation with Dean Horton, her project began in earnest with the help of Dr. Suzanne Langridge, director of the Wellesley College Paulson Ecology of Place Initiative. It then evolved into an independent study with Professor Amy Banzaert in Engineering Studies, where Lakkapragada learned all about the history of swings, as well as the engineering and physics of it all. In addition, Lakkapragada also ended up designing an independent course about swings. 

Langridge remarked that “This project brings together all of the key aspects of the Paulson Initiative; interdisciplinary collaborations with students, faculty and staff, meaningful student research engaging the campus landscape, and creating a sense of belonging through engaging with nature (and play!)”

Grant Perodeau, one of Wellesley’s arborists alongside James Connors, echoed  Langridge’s sentiments: “It was great working on this project. It is always fun to work with people who show an interest in trees and the natural environment.” Each element of the swings was carefully considered from the trees they hang from, to the question of straps or nuts and bolts, to the psychological and ecological impacts of the swings. 

Just as this project reached across disciplines, the swings (and the trees themselves) reach across time and space. Lakkapragada noted that one of the trees “is an oak tree near the Science Center Mozart statue, and the other is an ash tree on Sev Green, which in fact, is also a class tree for the class of 1906. The ash tree is older than the college. It’s been here longer than 150 years, so it’s like seeing everything before the College fire.” Both Lakkapragada and Langridge noted that even the seats of the swings –– made with the help of Andrew Kemp in the woodshop –– have a story to tell. The fallen red cedar used for this element is over 100 years old, and its sister tree still stands at the ninth hole of the Wellesley golf course. 

All of the different people who worked on the project are wholly invested in its success. Lakkapragada described how “one day the straps became loose, because I think a lot of people were swinging on it, so the swing got tilted, and the next morning, everyone messaged. Everyone emailed everyone in the process, because they were like, ‘Oh my goodness, our swing needs to be fixed!’” 

The project itself is far from over. Lakkapragada hopes to continue to install more swings across campus and connect the project to her interests in psychology. Working with Professor Yoolim Kim in the Psychology Department and the Office of Student Wellness, she hopes to study the impact of the swings on well-being. Lakkapragada explained that most of the pre-existing research on swings analyzes children whose spatial geometry orientation benefits from swings. She wants to think about the people who will use these swings every day. How are their individual well-beings being improved? Are the swings helping people become more ecologically aware?

Lakkapragada most appreciated all the ways this project allowed her to learn about Wellesley and from so many different people. She remarked, “One of my biggest takeaways is the overall learning that happens most, first of all, at a place like Wellesley, but second, when you get more specific and make a project for Wellesley.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Ivy Buck, Norah Catlin