Disabled Undergraduate Sustainability Researcher Helps Develop Microplastic Particle Characterization Library

Danielle Hoelle, a Florida International University senior studying Sustainability and the Environment, is living with rare disease, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and an autoimmune-neuromuscular disability, but she wanted hands-on experience in a research laboratory. While she had spent the Spring semester lobbying for Florida to adopt a single-use plastics regulation bill (HB 1145) and management bill (SB 1580), she found herself continually intrigued with the public health risk that microplastics pose on populations and the global environment.

Hoelle became one of ten motivated students selected worldwide for a National Science Foundation research apprenticeship program at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. Her focus was on microplastic particle separation and characterization. Hoelle said this was a dream come true in more than one way. In her sustainability endeavors, she could finally help make a dent in microplastic research that she felt was lacking, and she soon realized that despite her physical disability, she could finally be the scientist she always knew she was capable of being.

“I got motivated when I realized that I would have the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and help advance research on microplastics,” said Hoelle.

Hoelle worked with Dr. Madiyar using a method of particle separation within a non-uniform electric field known as Dielectrophoresis (DEP). Their research showed that DEP successfully captured, separated, and identified diverse types of microplastics and that they could create a library of characterized microplastics for further research.

In 2021, microplastic particles were seen in the high orbit atmosphere from the Arctics to the Himalayan Mountain range. They arrived by oceanic uptake, evaporation, movement through rain and snow, making traveling across oceans and lands a breeze. Many of the origins of these particles are unknown. Microplastics are not only found in the air and water but are also now being found in the lungs and bloodstreams of humans and animals. Microplastic particles are the remains of plastic degradation and pose a sincere and long-term health risk to the planet and its inhabitants.

“Finally, we will not only be able to identify the types of microplastics out there, but also their chemical composition, and that will ultimately lead us to understand just how far these particles are traveling to reach these secluded destinations,” said Hoelle about her research.

As the 10-week program went forward, Hoelle developed new skill sets and irreplaceable relationships with her mentor, colleagues, staff, and faculty members that she did not expect would lead her to a new career so quickly. By the time she left the program and using the exceptional skills that she learned through her research; she became Assistant Director of the Honors Program at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and will now help recruit the world’s best aerospace and aviation students into research that fits their areas of interest.

 “This program took me to new heights that I would never have imagined I was capable of until I tested my strengths. I am more than grateful for this opportunity and will recommend it for years to come!”, said Hoelle.

Submitted by: Danielle Hoelle, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; used with permission.

Abi Sloniker remembers well the competing feelings of exhilaration and confusion when she stepped onto campus as a freshman.

As a first-generation student, the experience was at times overwhelming. Her family was supportive, but as the first to go to college, Sloniker was navigating uncharted territory.

With the guidance of faculty, she eventually found her way and solid footing, but it took time, patience, and a lot of searching for the right resources.

Now more comfortable with all things college, she has immersed herself in a project that she hopes will keep other students from feeling the way she did when she arrived at Christopher Newport.

Sloniker has launched First-generation Captains, a club focused on fostering community, acceptance and knowledge. She wants first-generation students to feel welcomed and grounded from day one of their college journey. She has involved faculty members and University offices to provide input and ideas to bolster the club’s reach and effectiveness.

“I want to pull together as many different resources as I can to support first-generation students,” said Sloniker, ‘26 Sociology.

The response so far has been extremely positive, with both faculty and students energized about getting the club off the ground. Already, the club has attracted members. Approximately 20 percent of students at CNU are first-generation.

“It’s so exciting to me,” she said. “All of these people want to do this. It’s great.”

Sloniker lived the first-generation experience, but she began to realize she was not alone when she was offered a chance to do research on the topic as a Summer Scholar. She conducted the research under the direction of Dr. Linda Waldron, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Education Research and Policy (CERP). Her assignment was analyzing data provided by first-generation students at Christopher Newport. The research looked for similarities in first-generation stories and ways a college could apply the findings to make positive changes.

Undergraduate research, along with internships, study abroad and service, is one of the four pillars of a Christopher Newport education. Summer Scholars is a program that encourages students to embrace research projects. It is an eight-week, in-residence program that brings students and faculty together to work collaboratively to answer a research question.

As Sloniker embarked on the Summer Scholars research, the narratives she read from other first-generation students hit home, describing feelings and thoughts that were very familiar to her.

“I started to notice a lot of patterns as I went through them,” said Sloniker, who is from Chesapeake. Va., and the oldest of four sisters. “After listening to them, I went back to my dorm and asked my suitemate about it. We decided that we had the same type of problems here and some of them need to be fixed.”

As Sloniker worked to bring improvement, she built self-confidence and developed a passion that paved the way for her to make the campus a more welcoming and engaging place for those who are the first in their family to forge the path of college.

“I love what she’s doing,” said Waldron, Sloniker’s core advisor. “Abi has completely initiated this.”

Waldron, who also was a first-generation student when she began college, believes the club has the potential to have a huge impact on student success.

“Student organizations help create a sense of belonging, and play a role in helping retain students and having them graduate on time,” Waldron said.

First-generation Captains is a club that Sloniker and Waldron would like to see grow and prosper for years to come.

“There’s a benefit to having students with a range of experiences,” Sloniker said. “I am hopeful this club is really going to enhance the community and just provide a space where students can go and feel free to ask questions, even if they feel like they’re stupid questions.”

As Sloniker’s mentor and friend, Waldron has been critical in providing her with guidance and support.

“I didn’t come to college expecting a core advisor,” Sloniker said. “I figured I would just be thrown into the deep end of the pool and I thought, ‘OK, I’ll just learn how to swim.’ But when I got here, I was told I needed to meet with Dr. Waldron. She was so approachable, and always has been. Sometimes I would just drop by, and if her door was open, I’d be like, ‘Hey, I might need some help.’ She is always helpful and it’s just really nice.”

Together, using research and their common bond of being first-generation students as their foundation, they are working toward establishing more visibility for first-generation students. Sloniker envisions the club becoming part of the fabric of campus life.

“As a sociologist, what is really important is that it be institutionalized as opposed to just doing an event here or there. And we really needed a student to take the lead,” Waldron said. “I think students are really surprised that one in five students here are first generation. For me, it’s kind of like allowing students to kind of have a language to better understand their experience, but also to get the right resources that they need.”

Sloniker is hoping the First-generation Captains Club takes hold and develops into her legacy.

“I want it to have a stable foundation so that it stays here long after I leave,” Sloniker said. “For that to happen, there’s going to be a lot of work that needs to go into it. But it’s worth it because it’s for the betterment of the community on campus. I want to create something that is going to outlast me.”

Written by: Kelli Caplan for Christopher Newport University; used with permission. Find the original article here.

While pursuing baccalaureate degrees in the disciplines of chemistry, physics and engineering, three Cameron University students have also ventured into the realm of outer space by conducting undergraduate research projects that have them casting their critical thinking and analytical skills beyond the classroom. Under the mentorship of Dr. Susmita Hazra, Dalton Chase, Jennifer Lane and SheKayla Love are participating in research projects related to space weather and observational astronomy.

Chase, a physics major from Lawton who earned an Associate in Applied Science degree in engineering in May 2023, is utilizing data from SOHO, ACE and GOES satellites to understand how the sun varies across different solar cycles and the impact caused by the variability on space weather. This work will be helpful in building a framework for an empirical model for future solar activity prediction. Chase has presented his research at the National Council of Undergraduate Research and is assisting Hazra in publishing the results in a peer-reviewed journal.

“I learned and gained experience in professional settings,” Chase says of his research project. “I never knew the vast opportunities undergraduate research could provide me, and I am extremely grateful to Cameron and my research advisor Dr. Susmita Hazra for allowing me to have these experiences.”

Lane, a physics and engineering major from Fletcher, has been analyzing the light curve of exoplanets, which are planets in other solar systems. She is part of an exoplanet watch program via NASA’s partnership with the MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network at the Center for Astrophysics/Harvard & Smithsonian and Las Cumbres Observatory, a network of 25 telescopes at seven sites around the world. She also has access to telescopes at NASA’s Propulsion Laboratory. Exoplanet research gives scientists crucial hints for determining whether and where life might exist elsewhere in our solar system, as well as teaching us about how exoplanets were formed and evolved.

Lane has been analyzing light curves on these planets to find distance, size, composition and mass. She has presented her research at Oklahoma Research Day and plans to present at the National Council of Undergraduate Research at California State University Long Beach in Spring 2024. She is also writing her results to publish in a peer-reviewed journal.

“Conducting undergraduate research has been helpful for me by making me get out of my comfort zone,” Lane says. “It has challenged my critical thinking skills as well as presentation skills. Doing research over a topic I found very interesting is an enjoyable experience and boosted my confidence.”

Love, a senior chemistry major from Lawton, has analyzed data from four robotic telescopes on variable stars, which are located millions of light years away. Starlight is the only data available from that distance, so analyzing those lights can provide information about distance, mass, size, and composition. This research is significant as it gives information about stars, their life cycle and perhaps about our universe.

She has also been working on another space weather project using ionosonde data from around the world. Ionosondes are like ultrasounds; they send signals to the sky, and the returning signal gives information about the electron composition and irregularities. These parameters vary with the activity of the sun and Earth’s magnetic fields. Understanding the ionosphere is extremely important for satellite communication, a technology that is omnipresent in daily life.

“One of my biggest academic accomplishments is publishing my research work in a peer-reviewed journal,” Love says, who has presented her research at more than 10 conferences and has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. “I am very thankful to Dr. Hazra, Cameron University and the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering for giving me this opportunity.”

Written by: Cameron University; used with permission. Find the original article here.