Environmental Students Receive Provost Awards

Pace University Environmental Science students Nadine Zeidan ’25 and Sophie Valle ’26 received a 2024-2025 Provost’s Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Award! Sophie and Nadine will be working with Michael Rubbo, PhD, studying water pollution issues in the Pocantico River.

Sophie Valle
Identifying Sources of Nutrient Pollution in the Pocantico River

Pleasantville and surrounding areas such as Sleepy Hollow, Ossining, and Mount Pleasant all make up the Pocantico River Watershed. Primarily, the Pocantico River makes up a great deal of the biodiversity for the surrounding areas and is important in many ecological functions. Dr. Rubbo alongside other Pace students have discovered that there are high levels of phosphorus and fecal bacteria within the Pocantico River. Phosphorus by itself is not necessarily harmful, but adding any sort of nutrients into the river will cause an algal bloom, which will kill the local fish populations. While typically a result of runoff, the problem we will be researching is the result of failing septic tanks and systems within the watershed. Specifically, we will be researching whether or not the prevalence of private septic tanks increases the amount of phosphorus into the river. This research will be conducted mainly through water quality testing through streams that lead into the Pocantico River.

Nadine Zeidan
Comparison of Fecal Bacteria and Private Septic System Concentrations in the Pocantico Watershed

The Pocantico River Watershed (PRW) is home to Pace Universitiy’s Pleasantville campus. As is common with exurban watersheds, the Pocantico Watershed possesses a combination of low-to-high-density development and protected areas. The PRW is significant as it supplies the towns of Ossining, Mount Pleasant, Briarcliff Manor, New Castle, and Sleepy Hollow a variety of ecological services. Previous research conducted in Dr. Rubbo’s lab has discovered concerns with the river’s water quality, primarily related to high concentrations of phosphorus and fecal bacteria. Although phosphorus is a necessary nutrient for plant growth, excessive amounts can result in algal blooms, which may harm and reduce aquatic life. Additionally, humans and pets can become ill due to high levels of fecal bacteria. Faulty wastewater systems are common sources of phosphorus and fecal bacteria in suburban areas; In particular, malfunctioning private septic systems. The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether higher densities of private septic systems within the watershed contribute to higher river levels of fecal bacteria.

Environmental Studies student Danielle Shoulders received a Summer 2024 Provost’s Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Award and will work with department chair Michael Finewood, PhD.

Danielle R. Shoulders
An Exploration of Black Mutual Aid in the Context of Community Gardens

For this project I would volunteer in the maintenance of the community garden or urban farm, potentially weekly, to better see and learn how Black mutual aid is created and utilized in community gardens. This study will be observational and ethnographic. Ethnography is the study of individual cultures through immersive engagement. Most ethnography studies involve the researcher interacting with a specific community to experience their culture. In my specific ethnographic study, I would pursue a critical theory approach. This means I would explore and observe through the perspective that I should be questioning and critiquing the power structures that influence the community garden. To do good ethnography, researchers must first build trust and relationships. Volunteering and engaging is a good way to build this trust. I intend to utilize this methodological approach to understand ideas about community gardens and Black mutual aid more broadly. Deliverables might include a completed journal from my perspective on the experience, a final paper that includes a record of mutual aid that I witnessed while volunteering, or a deep understanding of the effectiveness of mutual aid presented in a narrative form. I will not be collecting personal stories or data. Currently, I am contacting several different community gardens and farms to potentially engage with. These potential sites include New Roots Farm, Kelly Street, and the Isabaliha Farm. Support from this award will help me gain the trust of the community members to get a more authentic perspective on how the community works. I will follow the weekly routine of the community to immerse myself in its culture. In doing so, I will take observational notes and reflections in a private journal. I would gather this data weekly and compare it to my previous literature review on Black mutual aid. After spending most of the summer gathering and analyzing this information, I will create a final research paper describing Black mutual while also explaining what I have learned about the relationship between urban agriculture, Black mutual aid, environmental justice issues, and the research process itself.