Elizabethtown College Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences Dr. Robert Northington and Environmental Science and Public Health student Elizabeth Wasylyk ’26 conducted research in South Greenland over the summer, examining how farming practices and freshwater changes affect Arctic and Sub-Arctic ecosystems.
The project is a continuation of Northington’s ongoing collaborative research, “Quantifying Biogeochemical Cycles of Sub-Arctic Agroecosystems and Forecasting Future Scenarios,” for which he received a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation in January.
Wasylyk (left) works with her research colleagues.
Northington and Wasylyk worked closely with collaborators from the University of Maine and regional sheep farmers to gain insight into the pressing challenges local agriculture faces in relation to water availability and quality. Their work seeks to better understand the threats to biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem resilience due to changes in land use and hydrology.
“This research is significant because it represents how science is meant to contribute to society,” Northington said. “Through our work with Greenlandic farmers, we were able to address their concerns through our choice of research projects. This work will be an excellent case study of how reciprocal science can be, where scientists and stakeholders are in constant communication about issues that are important to each group.”
Wasylyk’s research will inform her Honors in the Discipline project, which she will defend prior to graduating from Etown this fall.
“This opportunity was not only a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it was an amazing chance to get to study and conduct my own meaningful research,” Wasylyk said. “Many students get the chance to complete research within the Biology Department, but this was especially important because I had the chance to visit another country and collaborate with experts in my field of study, increasing my local understanding and collaboration in my research”
About Etown’s Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Elizabethtown College offers three department-specific majors and four interdisciplinary majors. Regardless of chosen major, students are met with a rigorous curriculum, hands-on research opportunities, and dedicated mentoring and advising, preparing them for direct entry into the workforce or for competitive graduate school programs. Learn more.
