Innovative 3 in 1 Pesticide, Fertilizer, & Pathogen Protectant with Chicken & Sheep Manure: SoilPop

Deborah McDonald ’26

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Niesenbaum

Other research team members? I was a part of the Niesenbaum research team! I worked with my mentee Shajnin Howlader and Dr. Niesenbaum.

What is the broader impact of your summer research? That is, why should the world care about your work?

For this summer research our big “why” is earth and human sustainability. We researched chemical fertilizers, non organic pesticides, and their impact on waterways, animals, and humans. Oftentimes chemical fertilizers are big pollutants and cause lots of harm in more ways than one. Our research could help improve the food system, and human health overall, by growing crops at home without the chemicals that are known to cause cancer. The little “why” of our summer project is to give home gardeners the confidence to start their own garden. Having access to fresh produce can make such a difference, but for some people they don’t know where to start. Our goal was to create a product this summer that could be easily accessible, easy to use at home, inexpensive, and less time consuming for both inexperienced and experienced gardeners. 

What has summer research taught you about yourself and the field that you researched and/or studied?

This summer has taught me to keep myself organized with research notes and work well with others. It has also allowed me to think a lot about my career after college, with thinking about if I would like to continue research work. This summer has taught me to keep track of what I’m accomplishing each day. My research team used two shared google docs (one for daily activities and one for research pictures) and we updated them each day, which allowed us to easily go back and remember what we accomplished the day before. 

What advice would you give to students considering a future research opportunity similar to the one you participated in?

Enjoy the summer research experience as much as you can and remember to roll with the punches! You might face some obstacles along the way but they will help to make you a better researcher.