Earth Day 2022

Kennesaw State researchers contributing to a healthier planet

By Kennesaw State University

April 22^nd, 2022

The international theme for Earth Day this year is Invest in Our Planet, making it an appropriate time to note that many KSU faculty are involved in research that focuses on creating a healthier environment. Here are some highlights of their groundbreaking work.

ANT (AND BEE) MAN

Assistant professor Clint Penick's work focuses on social insects like ants and bees, but he considers himself an expert in sociality, the process by which animals form groups and societies. Since insects are the most numerous creatures on Earth, Penick says they offer clues as to how humans might adapt to their world as time goes on, particularly in terms of mitigating transmission of diseases. His research sites include midtown Manhattan and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, where ants crawl and bees buzz.

FUNGUS AMONG US

Assistant professor of microbiology Chris Cornelison's expertise falls broadly in mycology, and both of his main lines of research pertain to conservation. His research into the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in tricolored bats has produced several treatments for hibernating bats that have shown promising results in mitigating WNS, a disease that has devastated the tricolored bat population in Georgia over the past decade. Closer to home, his lab uses agricultural waste to grow mushrooms, too.

BIRD WATCHING

Assistant professor of biology Sarah Guindre-Parker has set up nesting boxes throughout Metro Atlanta, for starlings, including at KSU's Field Station, the better to study how these birds have dealt with urbanization and climate change. She also said these common birds hold evolutionary clues for how humans might adapt at a physiological level to a changing future.

SOIL SOLUTIONS

Associate professor of biology Sigurdur Greipsson's research shows that switchgrass planted in lead-contaminated soil can mitigate some of the effects of the lead, making the soil habitable for recreation, residences and commerce. Switchgrass can help remove metallic contaminants, making this solution effective for cleaning up Superfund sites and vacant lots formerly occupied by old factories.

And, speaking of soil, associate professor of environmental science Dan Ferreira has worked with Japanese scientists to study contaminated soil in agricultural areas in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. He has created a way to mitigate the radioactive poisoning from the March 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster to make the area livable in the future by removing radioactive cesium from the soil.

SALAMANDER SCHOLAR

Assistant professor of biology Todd Pierson thinks about salamanders all the time and says Kennesaw State is the perfect place to study them because the Southern Appalachian region is the world's biodiversity hotspot for the ubiquitous amphibians. As both predator (of worms and insects) and prey (of birds and small rodents) the salamander occupies a critical place in the ecosystem. Pierson and his researchers study the movements and life cycles of salamanders to determine the best ways to preserve our wild spaces — and salamanders themselves.