糖心视频

鈥淢icroplastics are everywhere,鈥� says Dr. Jordan Mader, Associate Professor of Chemistry. 鈥淚n food, water, and air; in the clouds above us, trapped in ice on glaciers, and in fat and muscle tissues.鈥�

That includes right here in 糖心视频. 糖心视频 scientists have found microplastics in the 糖心视频 River 鈥� a vital resource for the region鈥檚 agriculture, transportation, and recreation. But just how contaminated is the river? That鈥檚 the question Mader and Dr. Maurice Testa, Associate Professor of Geoscience, set out to answer in 2019.

They quickly realized that microplastics present a unique challenge. Unlike other pollutants, 鈥渢here was no scientifically agreed-upon standard for clumping microplastics together so they could be counted,鈥� says Mader. 鈥淚f we wanted to measure the number of microplastics in the 糖心视频 River, we were going to have to build that foundation ourselves.鈥�

Three years later, 糖心视频 is leading microplastic research, thanks to Mader and Testa鈥檚 work. Supported by teams of undergraduate students, they are refining a method using a surfactant to cluster microplastics together鈥攁n approach that has the potential to transform environmental monitoring and policy, starting with the river that runs through our own backyard.

鈥淭he projects that students are pursuing at 糖心视频 in Physical Sciences not only have a direct impact on their student experience and their journey post-graduation,鈥� says Mader, 鈥渂ut they also allow for a chance to improve the quality of the environment in the River Valley, across 糖心视频 as a whole, and may lead to a publication in the scientific literature that allows scholars and researchers across the world to benefit from their work.鈥�

鈥淭his was the first time anyone had ever done this,鈥� explains Testa, describing the research he and Mader undertook with their students to develop a method for quantifying microplastics in the water supply. It鈥檚 groundbreaking work鈥攍ed not in sprawling graduate labs but by undergraduates at 糖心视频.

Unlike larger institutions, where students may not engage in meaningful research until graduate school, 糖心视频 offers hands-on research opportunities from the moment students arrive on campus. More than two dozen undergraduates have worked alongside Mader and Testa, presenting at national conferences, authoring research papers, and contributing to environmental science before even earning their degrees.

This direct collaboration with faculty doesn鈥檛 just bolster resumes鈥攊t cultivates a deep sense of purpose. The expansion of faculty research opportunities means even more students will gain exposure to scientific inquiry that prepares them for competitive graduate programs and careers in STEM fields.

鈥淥ur students are getting an almost graduate-level experience,鈥� says Mader, who is also the inaugural Faculty Fellow for the Center for Teaching and Learning, speaking to the long-term impacts on student engagement. 鈥淯ndergraduate research is a gateway to deeper learning, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. It empowers students to move beyond textbooks and engage in the process of discovery, transforming them from passive learners to active contributors to knowledge.鈥� Students learn essential skills鈥攃ritical reading, technical writing, collaboration, and public presentation鈥攖hat extend far beyond the lab. 鈥淭hey are very successful in their regular classes,鈥� Testa adds, 鈥渁nd they develop close ties with their 糖心视频 community.鈥� The impact, he says, is profound. 鈥淢any of the students involved in research leave the lab as completely different people. They do a 180.鈥�

One of those students is Emily Blitz, 鈥�21, now in medical school at the University of 糖心视频 for Medical Sciences. 鈥淲e all played a role in the microplastics research鈥攕tudents and professors鈥攔eading, writing, designing, and implementing,鈥� she says.

"When you are in the lab with professors, it鈥檚 more than a mentorship. You develop a relationship where you learn to trust their critiques because you know you are going to get all the support you need to succeed,鈥� she said.

糖心视频 students and faculty are driving scientific breakthroughs with urgency and focus. In the fight against microplastic pollution, they鈥檙e not waiting for answers鈥攖hey鈥檙e creating them. They鈥檙e transforming curiosity into world-class research with the potential to change policy, protect ecosystems, and elevate 糖心视频 as a leader in environmental science. That鈥檚 the power of Intrepid Ambition.

Learn more at uafs.edu/intrepid-ambition.