Cheng Lab – Brooklyn Urban Ecology and Environment Program (BUEE)

Ella Hook – Individual Development Plan

ehook — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 23:31:05 +0000

Hook-Ella-myIDP-2024-6-20

Student Project: Trace metal contamination in bioswale soils: an indicator of urban air pollution? (Cheng Lab)

zcheng — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 14:16:13 +0000

Thousands of bioswales had been built in New York City. Each of them helps infiltrate thousands of
gallons of stormwater runoff from streets, alleviating the pressure on wastewater treatment plants and
reduce the combined sewer overflow – the leading cause of water quality problem for major cities.
These bioswales also accumulate pollutants in the runoff, thus could serve as an indicator of air quality
around the bioswale. Topsoil samples have been collected from dozens of bioswales in New York City.
We are looking for a student to perform lab and data analysis, to investigate the potential relationships
between soil metal contents, land use, traffic density, and other variables.

Student Project: Quantifying soil quality improvements of leaf mulch incorporation (Cheng Lab)

zcheng — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 14:12:35 +0000

Leaf mulching and subsequent incorporation into soils in situ have been piloted in New York City, as a
means to reduce the labor and cost of leaf collection and offsite transportation, as well as to promote
beneficial use of organic waste to improve soil quality for vegetation and stormwater infiltration. This is
an excellent example of efforts to reduce carbon footprint and to achieve carbon neutral by 2050.
However, such improvements have not been quantified or even validated in the field. We are looking for
a student to perform field and lab measurements, to work alongside with NYC agency staff as well a
graduate student at Brooklyn College.