BRADFORD, Pa. – Science students at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford have a new lab this academic year for firsthand learning and research, with strength in soil science.

The new geology and environmental science lab brings together equipment that had been scattered across labs and storage areas, while also adding new tools. It’s a place where students can examine soil and rock samples in almost any way imaginable — cutting, polishing, washing, dehydrating, analyzing size and composition, or viewing specimens at up to 100,000 times magnification.

“Now we have our own dedicated space designed for our needs,” said Dr. Ovidiu Frantescu, associate professor and director of environmental science. That’s particularly important, he said, because soil “does not play well with lab equipment.”

To keep sensitive equipment clean, the lab includes a mud room where the messy work begins. It is equipped with a wet saw for cutting rock, a micro saw and lap wheel to cut smaller pieces into fine slices and polish for use as specimens, an oven to dry out soil samples, a sieve shaker to separate soil by particle size, and a micro sandblaster capable of exposing fossils embedded in rock.

Once specimens are prepared, microscopic soil particle sizes can be measured using equipment built specifically for that purpose. The process works by creating a thin suspension of soil in liquid and measuring how laser light is diffracted and dispersed through it.

Other equipment in the lab includes a photo stand for photographing specimens, portable spectrometers, a specimen storage area, a dehydrator for plant and insect specimens, and basic microscopes. The spectrometers illuminate soil or rock with a bright light and record the reflected wavelengths, allowing scientists to characterize samples in the field or samples that cannot be collected. They are particularly useful in assessing soil health.

“Soil science is a big topic of discussion,” Frantescu said. Healthy soil is essential for growing crops and feeding large populations. Scientists use soil analysis to examine contamination and recommend remediation plans, while engineers assess soil stability when evaluating construction sites.

The centerpiece of the lab is a new scanning electron microscope available to students in geology, biology, chemistry, material science and forensic science.

Gracie Hixon, a forensic science major from Blakeslee, Pa., used the microscope for her senior forensic chemistry capstone project, examining gunshot residue from new bullets compared to rounds more than 35 years old.

Another research project by senior Duncan Young, an environmental science and biology major from Titusville, Pa., is using the electron microscope to look for metal contamination in pine needles.

The investment in such equipment benefits students both directly and indirectly. Equipment like the electron microscope expands the kinds of research faculty members can pursue, which in turn enriches the academic environment for students.

Appropriately, the environmental science lab is the first University of Pittsburgh–designated Green Lab on the Pitt-Bradford campus. The designation evaluates chemicals and safety practices, a culture of sustainability, energy consumption, equipment maintenance, lab recycling, purchasing, water conservation and more.