This project has been designed for the purpose of getting 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students involved in scientific research. The research is built into introductory chemistry and geology courses, bringing together faculty and students in interdisciplinary study of locally relevant environmental topics. The project is supported by the departments of Chemistry and Geology at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO).

There are currently two active research programs associated with this project.

1. Analysis of drinking water began in the fall semester of 2002. In this research program, chemistry and geology students use Ion-Chromatography to study the geographic and geologic correlations of the most prevalent ions in drinking water.
2. Analysis of lead in soil began three years later in the fall semester of 2005. More so than most other locations, Omaha Nebraska has significant problem of lead contamination in soils due significantly but not exclusively to particle emissions from years of lead refining. Central to this research is the hypothesis that the lead contamination can be linked to its source(s) by the ratio of its isotopes.

We invite you to explore the resources available here that support these two programs and the project as a whole. It contains background information, data entry forms, instrument animations, past findings, student presentations and more – organized first by the research program to which it belongs.