Rare Scientific Research Will Flourish At WestConn, Thanks To NSF Grant

DANBURY — New Milford resident Jeff Martin never imagined he’d be wading knee-deep through rivers in Jalisco, Mexico, when he enrolled at Western Connecticut State University as a biology student in 1992. But that’s exactly what the then-30-year-old, non-traditional student did during his junior year, when he accompanied Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences Dr Thomas Philbrick on a field research trip to study rare plants that only grow in waterfalls and river rapids.

“It was an interesting adventure,” Mr Martin said, reflecting on the trip. “After years of study and field trips locally, I was excited to do some actual research work out in the field. Sometimes as a student, you feel like you are just memorizing and regurgitating the work of past scientists and scholars. This was a chance to examine something that no one had ever studied before; to ask and attempt to answer questions that had never been asked.”

Now, thanks to a four-year, $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Dr Philbrick will be able to offer the same kind of ultimate educational opportunity to more students who study at WestConn.

“What’s exciting about this grant is that the funding will enable me to integrate more students into my research, and in some cases hire students as my research assistants,” said Dr Philbrick, who lives in Newtown. “I can get them involved in my work in the laboratory here on campus, but I can also bring them to Latin America to conduct their own research related to what I’m doing.”

Dr Philbrick will have help with aspects of his research such as maintaining a database of specimens, the students will receive first-hand experience in the technical and conceptual aspects of systematic biology, and WestConn’s reputation as an institution that promotes and supports undergraduate research will grow.

Additionally, the work supported by the grant will greatly amplify the scientific community’s knowledge about these rare river plants. That’s important, because with detailed taxonomic classification of the species he encounters in the field, Philbrick can correlate the existence — or extinction — of the plants to external factors that impact their environment.

Hydroelectric dams, increased sediment from agriculture and deforestation, and water pollution are just some of the man-made threats to these unusual water plants. Dr Philbrick’s efforts to study and classify these plants provide insights into biodiversity, ecology and conservation issues.

Nine years after graduating from WestConn, Mr Martin now is a self-employed contractor in the construction industry, not a research biologist. But he still sees the value in what he learned as a student in Mexico.

“The trip was a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “I learned that it doesn’t take an expensive lab, equipment or computers to do good and meaningful science. As Tom [Philbrick] once said to our class, ‘Science can be done with only a piece of paper and a pencil.’

“The field work in Mexico wasn’t just a day at the beach, either; the work was hard and the days long, but it was satisfying and enjoyable,” continued Mr Martin. “Looking back, it was the highlight of my undergraduate work at WestConn, and I would recommend that any student who gets the opportunity should grab it.”

Thanks to the NSF grant, more of Dr Philbrick’s students will get that chance.

Dr Philbrick also recently received an $8,695 grant from the National Geographic Society to further his research.