News From the Environmental Studies and Science Department

Pace University students in the Animal Advocacy Clinic met with lawmakers in Albany at the end of April to advocate for legislation aimed at restricting the use of rodenticides linked to the deaths of wildlife and companion animals. The bill, known as the RAPTORS Act, was introduced by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick following three years of student-led research and advocacy.

Students in Professor Asquith’s ENV100 class gave their final presentations on environmental issues affecting Pleasantville, the home of Pace’s Westchester Campus.

Environmental Science student Ruby-Summer Marshall-Shkymba ’26 shares her experience interning at the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Climate Initiative, a program that provides funding to hundreds of museums and arts organizations to support the advancement of climate conscious infrastructure in the visual arts sector.

The newly named Suburban Biodiversity Conservation Center launches new hands-on projects and opportunities for Pace and the local communities.

Mekayla Bailey spent the summer interning with Gotham Park, a nonprofit grassroots organization revitalizing the forgotten spaces under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, a short walk from Pace University’s New York City campus.

Pace University’s Animal Policy Project partners with the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council as increased threats to wildlife prompt alliance of “Nature’s First Responders.”

Students in Dr. Rubbo’s Flora and Fauna of the Hudson Valley class spent a beautiful day at Turkey Mountain Nature Preserve to learn about local plant species and to test their identification skills.

At this event, hosted by the Saw Mill River Audubon, Professor Land discussed rat poisons that are harming local hawks, eagles, and owls and shared ways the local community could help.

Reported by James Steigerwald, editor-in-chief of The Pace Chronicle, the story of a black bear wandering near Pace University has captured plenty of local attention. Jacob Reiter, who manages Pace’s conservation center, said the bear was likely in a state of hyperphagia, a feeding frenzy before hibernation.

Students from the class Soils and Society: The Critical Zone (ENV 297T) presented at the Pace University Spring Research Conference, discussing their unique environmental studies course that examines soil as both a scientific and metaphorical framework for understanding environmental justice, labor, and identity.

Students from Pace University’s Animal Advocacy Clinic drafted legislation in early May— now introduced in the New York State Legislature, that would prohibit the breeding, sale, and trade of the invasive red-eared slider turtle.

Assistant Professor Perl Egendorf, PhD, worked with a group of students to organize a series of lectures and volunteer opportunities in the Pace Land and Labor Farm.

Learn more about the Native Plant Propagation Project, an educational program to showcase the diversity of local native plants and their benefits to the biodiversity of a region.

MS in Environmental Science and Policy students Jasmine Moayedzadeh Rad ‘25 and Samantha Cronk ‘25 recently presented their research findings at the 2025 Northeast Natural History Conference in Springfield, MA.

If you’ve walked the Conservation Center grounds on the Westchester Campus this spring, you may have noticed wooden nesting boxes placed in various locations. These boxes are being monitored for breeding bird activity, and the recorded data is actively being submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestWatch program.

Congratulations to Environmental Science student Hannah Engelmeyer ’25 who won awards for their paper and their presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Fellows!

Environmental science students Nadine Zeidan ’25 and Sophie Valle ’26 received a 2024-2025 Provost’s Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Award. Environmental Studies student Danielle Shoulders ’25 received a Summer 2024 Provost’s Student-Faculty Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry Award.