Lab & Field Research

Chatham is the ideal place for eye-opening discoveries, whether you’re standing in a stream, looking at a petri dish, or somewhere in between. Explore this page to learn more about research opportunities in both the lab and the field.
Photo of three Chatham University students sit in grassy field with a shovel, camera, and bag doing research

Water Science & Sustainability

Master of Sustainability + MBA students in the Falk College measure and monitor stream conditions to better understand the ways water quality changes, and how that can change everything around us.

Ecological Impact

Bachelor of Sustainability students in Chatham's Falk College of Environment, Leadership, & Management use Eden Hall to conduct research on the ecologic impact that invasive, non-native species like Japanese Barberry is having on our woodlands.

Photo of mushrooms growing on mossy tree stump in forest

Forest Health & Succession

Lichen species are a small but important part of our eastern forest ecosystem. Like other organisms, the biodiversity of lichen and their response to the environment may inform us about overall forest health and succession. Unlike others, though, foliose lichen can accumulate airborne heavy metal particulates in their tissues, and so also serve as historians for regional air quality conditions. This research program, headed by Dr. Linda MK Johnson, involving sustainability and environmental science students aims to investigate and record lichen species diversity in areas of western PA, such as Powdermill Nature Reserve and Chatham’s Eden Hall.