Research in Environmental Studies

Student Research - Selected Projects

John Clark worked with a yeast bioassay for estrogenic compounds in domester wastewater. He examined quantities of EDCs as a function of time and in incoming sewage and effluent from a sewage treatment plant.

Joanna Chisolm used GIS to examine the correlations among asthma incidence, income level, and proximity to diesel truck routes and highways in the five boroughs of New York City.

Ted Nathanson developed a survey, sent nationwide to college students, to examined the water use attitudes, perceptions, and uses across the US, all as a function of self-reported environmental knowledge. He evaluated the perceived merits of various methods of water use reduction, like desalination, conservation, and restriction of development.

Sara Cohn completed a study of the transportation attitudes and practices of campus residents. Her goal is a reduction in private car use by residents, part of the drive towards campus sustainability. She identified barriers to the use of campus shuttles to White Plains and Port Chester and incentives to reduce the number of registered cars on campus.

Christine Bruno designed a project at the Bronx Zoo to quantify heavy metals present in the eggs of the snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) that come ashore from the Bronx River into the Zoo to nest and lay eggs. She is currently completing graduate school at Cal State Northridge studying UV impacts on high altitude amphibians in South America.

Pira Suthirangkul described changes during embryo development of the non-native Asia Shore crabs (Hemigrapsus sanguineus). Pira used the relationship he developed between female crab size and offspring number to predicted the reproductive output of a local population.

Faculty Research

The following are condensed descriptions of the research interests of the core Environmental Studies faculty. Please see individual faculty websites for more complete information.

George P. Kraemer, Ph.D. (Professor) - Marine ecology; invasive species; integrated aquaculture. george.kraemer@purchase.edu [PUBLICATIONS]

Ryan Taylor, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor) - Geographic Information System research, freshwater stream processes and ecology.

James M. Utter, Ph.D. (Associate Professor) - Wetlands and conservation ecology; ecology of neotropical migrant birds. james.utter@purchase.edu

Matthew Immergut (Assistant Professor) - Environmental sociology, irrational consequences of rational systems (alà Max Weber). matthew.immergut@purchase.edu