INTEGRATIVE COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH BETWEEN FACULTY, GRADUATE, UNDERGRADUATE, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: THE CASE OF HEAVY METALS IN URBAN SOILS JERSEY CITY, NJ

Jersey City NJ is an excellent case study of the urban environmental issues facing many of the older cities of the east coast. Jersey City was the end of the track for numerous railroads transporting manufactured goods. It also had a thriving industrial center, thus leaving behind a legacy of contaminants, particularly heavy metals including Pb and Cr.

New Jersey City University (NJCU an HSI) primarily caters to first-generation college students and has a 60% minority enrollment (Latinos and African-Americans). It is located in the Greenville section of Jersey City; where low-income housing is co-mingled with working class and working poor, multi-family dwellings. The study extends in a 5 km radius from NJCU and encompasses the wealthier parts of the city including Hamilton and Van Vorst Park. Many of the buildings are built atop fill used to create new land or to raise topographic elevation. The exact chemical and mineralogical composition of the deeper fill is generally unknown, but likely contains chemical and ore processing waste.

In the spirit of community relations, a pilot project began in 2007 to test soil samples collected from public parks, playgrounds, and ball fields within a 2 km radius of the university. It subsequently expanded to a 5km radius. Our aim is to analyze the soils for heavy metals, as well as to conduct a complete sedimentological and mineralogical assay. We have an active collaboration with the Community Gardens of Lafayette Park and other associations.

Since its inception, the project has involved 2 graduate and 8 undergraduate students and the collaboration of 3 faculty from Geoscience. In the summers, a total of 8 high school students were added to the project. These students come from Union High School and are funded by the American Chemical Society SEED program, designed to encourage economically disadvantaged high school students in pursuing careers in the chemical sciences. These students work in the laboratory for 8 weeks and are awarded a fellowship. The graduate and undergraduate students serve as mentors to the high school students and present their work at GSA meetings. The high school students write up their findings and present their work at numerous events including science fairs and ACS meetings. So far 2 of the high school students have won first prizes; one was awarded a Schering-Plough prize.