Bard Faculty Published in Science of the Total Environment
A group of BSRI students conducting freshwater research in 2015. Photo by Gabriel Perron
Bard professors Elias Dueker and Gabriel G. Perron and postdoctoral researcher Carolina Oliveira de Santana published a study based on their research in the April 2025 issue of Science of the Total Environment. The published study, “Bacterial and DNA contamination of a small freshwater waterway used for drinking water after a large precipitation event,” examines sewage contamination of freshwater systems. The research was based on a three-month field study of the Saw Kill tributary. Students from the Bard Summer Research Institute conducted this field work through sampling surface and sediment water, which they processed in the Bard Reem-Kayden Center’s lab and measured to determine the water’s bacterial content and the presence of antibiotic resistance markers.
Ultimately, the study found that while wastewater treatment was effective in eliminating some contaminants, it failed to remove DNA contamination from fresh water. It confirmed that more study of complications like rain and severe weather is needed to better understand how this contamination can be remedied in the future.
Perron and Dueker’s research focuses on environmental studies, urban development, and human rights. In 2024, Perron received a grant from the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to study the impact of agriculture on soil health. Both have collaborated on several articles about bacterial communities and water health in the Hudson River.
Post Date: 03-25-2025
Ultimately, the study found that while wastewater treatment was effective in eliminating some contaminants, it failed to remove DNA contamination from fresh water. It confirmed that more study of complications like rain and severe weather is needed to better understand how this contamination can be remedied in the future.
Perron and Dueker’s research focuses on environmental studies, urban development, and human rights. In 2024, Perron received a grant from the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to study the impact of agriculture on soil health. Both have collaborated on several articles about bacterial communities and water health in the Hudson River.
Post Date: 03-25-2025