Research with Impact
GOING GREEN
Educating the next generation of environmental scientists
Growing up in Yonkers, N.Y., a young Steven Goldsmith, PhD, was always looking for natural places to play in a very urban environment.
“One of those places was a polluted stream that went right by our apartment building. And back in those times, no one told us, or no one knew that this stream was polluted,” Dr. Goldsmith recalls. Now a professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at ĂŰĚŇTV, Dr. Goldsmith reflects on the impact his experience has had on his life and career.
“I have learned to better appreciate the things that are impacting that environment. A lot of what I do today is trying to understand how streams are being impacted, particularly urban streams.”
Dr. Goldsmith’s research focuses on the environmental factors that negatively impact water quality, specifically land use, roadway de-icing practices, plastics and metals. This work, and geosciences research more broadly, aim to improve everyone’s water, soil and air—so it is important to educate the next generation.
Dr. Goldsmith partnered with a Geography and the Environment colleague, Associate Professor Kabindra Shakya, PhD, as well as Vanessa Boschi, PhD, assistant research professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Lisa Marco-Bujosa, PhD, associate professor in Education and Counseling, to launch an immersive geochemistry research experience for local high school students.
“It is so vital that we educate younger generations, in order to spread awareness and, more importantly, to inspire and empower them to be agents of change themselves,” says Dr. Boschi.
From left, Kabindra Shakya, PhD; Lisa Marco-Bujosa, PhD; Steven Goldmith, PhD; Vanessa Boschi, PhD
FROM THE GROUND UP
What contaminants can be found in local soil, and which pose the biggest risks? Vanessa Boschi, PhD, assistant research professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry, mentors student researchers as they seek answers to these questions. They learn to measure heavy metal concentrations using an x-ray fluorimeter, determine if there are contamination trends in the region and discuss the implications for the community and ecosystems.
“Watching these students grow exponentially throughout the program—from learning about environmental geochemistry to performing a complex research project and delivering impressive presentations on their data and results—is one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” says Dr. Boschi. “I appreciate opportunities where faculty and students can work more directly in the community, because then everyone wins."
Stronger Together
The Villanova team partnered with Saul High School, a public school in Northwest Philadelphia. Despite its urban environment, the school has a 100-acre campus, a working farm and a renowned environmental education program, making it an ideal partner for the Villanova program.
During the academic year, Villanova faculty go into Saul High School to teach water, air and soil geochemistry modules. Over the summer, Saul students are invited to participate in the Villanova Environmental Geochemistry Summer Institute, a collaborative, hands-on research experience with Villanova faculty as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Starting in the suburbs and moving to West Philadelphia, students collect samples along Cobbs Creek. Working with Villanova faculty and student mentors, the high school students analyze the samples using Villanova’s research facilities, evaluate the impact of pollution across the sites and present their results.
“I was really drawn to this project because it worked with soil science and air science and water science, and then it has this amazing bonus component of working with the students and engaging with them,” says Hannah Feldman ’24 MS, who served as the graduate student mentor and facilitator for the program during her time in the Master of Environmental Science program.
There are three research teams, each with a faculty leader and an undergraduate peer mentor: Dr. Goldsmith with the water team, Dr. Shakya with the air team and Dr. Boschi with the soil team. Heith Turner ’25 CLAS, who worked as an undergraduate mentor on the water team, first got involved in the research through a course with Dr. Goldsmith. When given the opportunity to continue working with Dr. Goldsmith, Heith couldn’t pass it up.
“Day in and day out, I work on a team. Having Dr. Goldsmith and Hannah, the grad student, to bolster us creates a sense of unity while doing research.”
THREE MINUTES, TOPS
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is like an elevator pitch—except it’s a particularly long elevator ride and the pitch is articulating research results. ĂŰĚŇTV hosts an annual 3MT competition, a model developed by the University of Queensland in Australia that has been replicated at universities around the world. Hannah Feldman ’24 MS talked about her work with the Villanova Environmental Geochemistry Summer Institute in the 3MT.
“An integral part of those three minutes is not only covering lots of information in a short period of time but also motivating the audience to care about what you did, which is so important in research communication,” says Feldman. “In addition, hearing and sharing research across disciplines sparks new ideas and new collaborations. It can inspire a new way to analyze a dataset, provide a new perspective on how to present research, or expand knowledge on a new subject.”
3MT cultivates graduate and doctoral students’ research communication and presentation skills, challenging them to explain high-level research to a broad audience, which are critical skills for building broad public understanding of complex, yet relevant, research.
They also found the goal of their research has an inherently unifying theme—to improve the quality of the water, soil and air that everyone accesses.
“We all want a healthy environment to live in,” says Dr. Goldsmith. “We all want streams that we can go either wade in or fish in. We all want air that we can breathe that won't take years off our life. The time to address these problems is now, and if we do so in a meaningful way, we can ensure that we have an environment for future generations to enjoy.”
The Impact
As an expert in STEM education, Dr. Marco-Bujosa’s role is to assess the program’s impact on the high school students’ content knowledge, interest in geoscience careers and ability to utilize their science knowledge and skills to take action in their own communities.
“Students have commented repeatedly that getting to know real scientists, including our incredible Villanova science faculty and guest speakers who work for local environmental agencies, has helped them see themselves as scientists,” says Dr. Marco-Bujosa. “They became passionate about the content they were learning and were empowered from their position as community insiders to take more of a leadership role to work toward change. These are very passionate and capable high school students who do not get this opportunity often enough in traditional school.”
The high school students, along with the Villanova students, are contributing to relevant, ongoing research in the faculty members’ labs. On Dr. Goldsmith’s team, they are evaluating plastics in local streams each year to track changes. In January of 2024, Lower Merion Township passed a single-use plastics ordinance to limit the distribution and use of plastics. Between summer of 2023 and summer of 2024, Dr. Goldsmith’s research team saw a drop in the number of plastic bags found in the Cobbs Creek watershed, which runs through Lower Merion Township, from 166 to 16.
“In this field, you're going to see results. If you keep pushing and you keep trying, you'll be able to see progress toward having a healthy environment,” says Heith.
Community is critical to success—that’s the Villanova team’s perspective. It’s not only important for the faculty to work across disciplines and with their students, but also with the community beyond the boundaries of campus.
“It's not just that we are parachuting into communities and collecting samples and then ultimately telling the community what should be done with it. A big part of that work is actually having both faculty and students engaging with members of the community to have them be part of the problem-solving process,” says Dr. Goldsmith.
Dr. Goldsmith stresses an education in the geosciences is inherently interdisciplinary. “You're not only getting a degree in environmental science but also learning how to think critically and incorporate portions of different scientific fields, such as economics and political science, because if you want to have a solution, you want to make sure that it is actually embraced by society.”
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR?
Standing on 16th Street in Philadelphia versus waiting for a train in Suburban Station just below, travelers experience a significant difference in the air quality. Kabindra Shakya, PhD, has been researching air pollution for nearly a decade, and much of his research has been focused on the Philadelphia region—most recently in underground stations where commuters congregate.
Dr. Shakya invites students into his lab and collaborates across disciplines because improving air quality takes many perspectives. "
"The environmental issues are not isolated, but they are very much connected with different disciplines. It is important to have interdisciplinary project to broaden our understanding."
His research on measuring air quality in underground subway stations and examining its effect on human lung cells is a collaboration with Aimee Eggler, PhD, associate professor of Chemistry.
