
My name is Nancy, and I am a rising sophomore at Rutgers University studying Public Health and Environmental Policy! My hometown is Pennington, New Jersey, but I loved getting the chance to spend the summer conducting research in Philadelphia. My research interests include using the lens of GIS to visualize health disparities.
This summer I spent time in Dr. Field’s lab conducting research on hydraulic fracturing. One part of my research focused on using analytical chemistry in order to test water samples for potential contaminants, hardness, and pH The Community Engagement Core helped craft personalized letters with the water sample results mailed back to the participants. The EPA Drinking Water Standards were also included for comparison. These standards are set at a level that the EPA considers safe for drinking water, and not all contaminants tested have EPA standards. The following contaminants were tested in parts per billion: Fluoride, Chloride, Nitrite, Bromide, Nitrate, Phosphate, Hardness, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Aluminum, Copper, Rubidium, Lithium, and Strontium. Conductivity was measured in μS/cm and alkalinity at mg/L.
In addition to that work, I used geographic information system mapping technology (GIS) to map