Submitted by Celine Pallud on
We seek participants for a training program in sustainable soil remediation methods. Participants will work on an on-going research project to determine sustainable methods for remediating soil with arsenic contamination. We are investigating the ability of a fern, Pteris vittata, to remove arsenic from soil by accumulating arsenic in its fronds. We conduct field, greenhouse and laboratory experiments with the objective of determining the ability of fertilizer or mycorrhizal fungi inoculation to increase arsenic concentrations in the fern fronds. Participants might also support local urban agriculture groups in sampling soil to determine if land is safe for urban agriculture.
Student engagement will include 4-8 hours of work assisting with a greenhouse study including lab work preparing soil, plant, and column porewater/effluent samples for chemical analysis. Work could also include mentoring local African-American and Latinx high school students in sampling neighborhood vacant lot soils to prepare for urban agriculture, in collaboration with the Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative (must be available Saturday mornings 9am-1pm for this part of the project). Students will also attend an SSRI group meeting every 2-3 weeks to learn and discuss topics including research methods, remediation techniques, and career development.
We are looking for highly motivated students interested in soil science and cycles of contaminants in soil-plant systems. No qualification is needed, but basic knowledge of soil science and chemistry is a plus. Interns must have at least 4 consecutive hours of available for lab work weekdays between 8-6pm, OR be available Saturdays 9-1 for the youth soil sampling project, and be available for SSRI meetings Fridays 4-5pm (every 2-3 weeks). Everyone is encouraged to apply, particularly students from underrepresented groups, and/or with experience working with underrepresented students.