Hobart and William Smith Colleges

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) on Microplastic Sources, Sinks Transport and Environmental Impacts across the Finger Lakes Watershed is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation as a collaboration between Hobart and William Smith and The City College of New York.

REU student objectives

• Interact with, learn from, and conduct original research with peers and dedicated faculty mentors. Students will work in teams to devise research questions that will include field and laboratory work in the Finger Lakes watersheds followed by laboratory and analytical work at the City College of New York.
• Explore and discover the social, cultural, and geographic diversity of others with comparable academic interests from a wide range of colleges and universities.
• Cultivate a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science by integrating perspectives from atmospheric science, biology, chemistry, data analytics, engineering, geoscience,   aquatic biology and hydrology through original research.
• Build skills in the design of research projects, laboratory analysis, data handling, visualization, and communication of results in visual and verbal form. Cultivate skills in leadership, collaboration, intellectual independence and problem solving.
• Prepare for careers with workshops on professional networking and resume writing, and explore career opportunities through interaction with professionals in the scientific community.

REU site objectives

• Provide learning opportunities to a group of promising and diverse undergraduates that will help them prepare for careers in STEM fields by developing hard skills (e.g., using equipment and software, conducting field work, communication) and soft skills (e.g., problem solving, leadership, teamwork), building professional networks and conducting original research with opportunities to present results at conferences and publish findings in scientific journals.
• Provide opportunities for collaborative research between two institutions that together provide a rich and well-documented natural environment in which to pose questions around environmental microplastics, and laboratory resources for state-of-the-art analysis of environmental samples. The collaboration also brings together faculty with expertise in these systems and with extensive experience successfully mentoring undergraduates from question to final product.

Planned 2025 Schedule

Participants will arrive in Geneva, NY on Sunday, June 8, 2025, to begin work on Monday, June 9. Work in Geneva will conclude on Friday, July 11 and participants will travel to New York City on Saturday, July 12. Work will begin at City College of New York on Monday, July 14. Work will conclude with a poster presentation on Friday, August 8. Students will depart NYC on Saturday, August 9.

Support for this program is provided by and contingent on funding from the National Science Formation.