The Rowland Institute for Science was founded by Edwin H. Land, founder of Polaroid Corporation, as a nonprofit basic research organization in 1980. The Rowland, as it is commonly referred to, is dedicated to experimental science across a wide range of disciplines. Ongoing research at the institute involves the fields of Chemistry, Physics, and Biology to name a few, and focuses on interdisciplinary work.
The institute merged with Harvard University on July 1, 2002, and is now called The 'Rowland Institute at Harvard'. It is located near Kendall square in Cambridge, MA, and is a few miles away from the main campus. The institute is currently the location for the Physics and Applied Physics research seminar for Harvard College freshmen.