BMCC Students Conduct Research with Lower Manhattan Neighbor, Hudson River Park

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) in lower Manhattan overlooks the scenic Hudson River and is a close neighbor of the Hudson River Park and National Estuarine Research Reserve.

This proximity provides research opportunities for aspiring environmentalists, research scientists and others at the college.

It also reflects a CUNY partnership that supports BMCC faculty and students as they engage in direct research at Hudson River Park.

BMCC’s relationship with the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) started last year, explains BMCC Science Professor Abel Navarro, and kicked off with a series of meetings and brainstorming sessions for potential projects to conduct with CUNY colleges in general.

“John Jay College of Criminal Justice is already carrying out studies with the HRPT, due to their proximity to one of the Trust’s major facilities,” says Dr. Navarro. “BMCC is strategically close to Piers 25 and 40, where the HRPT has a lab for field trips and stations for water sampling. The HRPT has also accepted BMCC students as interns and they always have the doors open to accept more interns from BMCC and have students visiting their facilities and collaborate in different projects.”

Hudson River Park provides a variety of opportunities for the BMCC community 

On June 13, faculty, staff and students participated in a workshop and toured the Wet lab aquarium at Hudson River Park’s River Project at Pier 40, just across West Street from the college’s 199 Chambers Street campus.

In other examples of BMCC’s connections to the Hudson River Park, Science major Brandon Campos just received the Tibor Polgar Fellowship from the Hudson River Foundation, and Science major Vivian Chavez was accepted to the summer internship program as a field science assistant through the Hudson River Park Trust.

Ms. Chavez will focus on local estuarine research, wildlife and habitat enhancement projects, as part of the Hudson River Park Trust’s River Project team of scientists and educators, and report to the Manager of Research & Aquaria, while Mr. Campos will conduct research with Dr. Navarro on the elimination of heavy metals from Hudson River using agricultural wastes.

Mr. Campos is the only community college student in the list of awardees, along with students from Cornell, UCLA, Rutgers and others. The research he will conduct relates to Dr. Navarro’s ongoing work, most recently supported through a Climate Crisis research grant awarded in 2020.

“Our research goal is to improve the quality of ANY water resource; including ponds, rivers, lakes, industrial runoffs and more,” says Dr. Navarro. “Our previously funded award from 2020 studied the remediation of New York City ponds like the ones in Central Park, in order to eliminate the green color during the summer season due to the overgrowth of algae. With this new grant, my student Brandon will address the remediation of heavy metal ions in Hudson River waters.”

It’s important for students to “develop a culture of care towards the environment around them and a sustainable mindset,” says Dr. Navarro. “Secondly, they gain hands-on experience in water sampling and quality control, which are marketable skills for future opportunities, internships or fellowships in STEM.”

A third benefit to student researchers relates to their career path.

“They are able to self-identify themselves in the STEM network through their participation in discussions with peers in environment and remediation,” he says. “They get the chance to read about recent advances in water purification techniques, and their participation in conferences or symposia with specialists in the field.”

Overall, says Dr. Navarro, “It is extremely important to give the opportunity to our research students, in any discipline, to showcase their work in conferences, symposia, national meetings, academic societies. This way, our students develop interpersonal skills, listen to discussions in their fields and observe what is being done in their majors. This incentivizes their interest in their majors and promotes their academic engagement.”

Office of Research and Inquiry and Office of Sponsored Programs support faculty-led research

In addition to students afforded research opportunities through the Hudson River Park, Science major Jessie Lee was accepted to the Summer Engineering Research for Community College Students (SERCCS) program at Cornell University’s Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS).

“My experiences in the BMCC Office of Research during my time at BMCC led me to exploring different fields and intersections of research,” says Ms. Lee. “I learned a lot from my peers and the importance of collaboration in research spaces. I also learned a lot about perseverance and the importance of advocating for oneself.”

These and other student research opportunities are coordinated through the BMCC Office of Research and Scholarly Inquiry.

Faculty-mentored research at BMCC is centered in the departments of Academic Literacy and Linguistics, Business, Computer Science, English, Ethnic and Race Studies, Health Education, Mathematics, Modern Languages and the Social Sciences, as well as science research in astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics and more.

“Participating in these programs offer a multitude of benefits and serves as an entry point to other STEM internships and fellowships,” says Odaelys Pollard, Director of Research at BMCC. “Students who are engaged in hands-on, inquiry-based learning, fostering a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and methods. This approach not only solidifies their academic knowledge but also cultivates critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills that lead to their success in STEM careers.”

Director Pollard adds that opportunities such as the Tibor R. Polgar Undergraduate Fellowship, internships through the Hudson River Park, participation in programs at Cornell and other colleges, “provide students with invaluable hands-on experience, mentorship and networking — all of which prepare them for the evolving field of STEM.”

Another important source of support for research, program development and initiatives at BMCC is the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).

The OSP identifies funding sources, guides faculty and staff through the funding submission process, oversees management of funded programs and more.

 

Learn more about the BMCC Office of Research and Scholarly Inquiry here, call (212) 277-7127 or email vandrews@bmcc.cuny.edu. Learn more about the BMCC Office of Sponsored Programs here, call (212) 220-8010 or email grants@bmcc.cuny.edu.