Turning Research Into Practice
Our faculty conduct research and mentor student research. They receive grants and encourage you to get involved in their research. You won’t just study environmental issues — you'll contribute directly to solving them.
Use 3D Models and Maps to Support Prescribed Burns
In this project, students use USF's Geospatial Analysis Lab (GsAL) to support the planning and execution of prescribed fires across California. To do that, they collect and analyze vegetation data to build high-resolution 3D fuel models used to simulate fire behavior. This work helps our partners at CAL FIRE make data-driven decisions to reduce wildfire risk and protect vulnerable communities.
Principal Investigator: Dr. David Saah, Fernanda Lopez, and Kayla Johnson
Map the Future of Farmland
In this project, students use spatial analysis and public records in GIS to investigate farmland consolidation and corporate land ownership across the state, in a partnership with the California Agricultural Land Observatory project. By developing a WebGIS and Dashboard we can visualize real-time trends in agricultural land ownership to inform policy and promote sustainable food systems. The results of this work have been presented in policy briefs, academic publications, and public-facing tools in collaboration with community stakeholders.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Paul Nesbit
Students at USF’s GsAL collaborated with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and authors at SF Chronicle to answer this question.
Investigate the Environmental Impact of Forever Chemicals
The PFAS research group investigate a group of synthetic chemicals known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), often referred to as “forever chemicals.” PFAS are known to persist in soils, sediments and eventually partition in organisms through bioaccumulation. Students in this project use uncontaminated soil from Star Route Farms to investigate the potential of soils to protect groundwater from PFAS contamination. This work involves laboratory experiments, field work, and modeling and helps improve our understanding of the behavior of these chemicals in the environment.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Amalia Kokkinaki
USF students tackled climate change, water pollution, and more than 100 other challenges at Creative Activity and Research Day. They shared their work in posters, presentations, and projects.
Understand how River Floodplains Contribute to Climate Change
In a collaboration with the Department of Chemistry at USF, this project aims to study the biogeochemistry of terrestrial-aquatic interfaces, specifically river floodplains. In this research, students conduct field observations, geospatial analysis, as well as laboratory experiments and quantitative modeling of biogeochemical reactions under various conditions characteristic of river floodplains.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Amalia Kokkinaki and Dr. Amrita Bhattacharyya
We spoke with Dr. Amalia Kokkinaki to congratulate her on the grant she and her collaborators received from the Environmental System Science funding opportunity announcement through the U.S. Department of Energy.
Study Coyotes in Urban Environments
In this project, student researchers measure mercury levels in coyote fur, organs, and blood to identify mercury distribution across this apex predator’s body. Previously limited to terrestrial ecosystems, coyote’s are now expanding their food sources and thereby being exposed to toxic levels of mercury. This research aims to identify risks to coyote populations in urban areas, and to advance our current understanding on how and where toxic mercury is entering the food web in terrestrial ecosystems.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Allison Luengen
Makena Gichuru ’25 used the Arthur Furst Research Award to support her schooling at USF — including research on coyotes in San Francisco.
Choose Your Research Topic
Research projects highlighted above are faculty-led and are conducted over multiple years. While some MSEM students participate in these projects as research assistants, all MSEM students conduct research in a semester-long independent applied research project of their choice that connects directly with each student’s future career goals and interests. The topic of research is unique to each student, not limited by funding or faculty interests. The research MSEM students conduct in their capstone, culminates into a master's project and a professional presentation at the annual MSEM conference. For highlights of student masters projects, check our blog.