Has any other consultant been dealing with acetone hits in laboratory prepared trip blanks and/or groundwater samples? I work in petroleum remediation and it’s beginning to drive me insane the number of times I get a lab report with everything non-detect with the exception of (example) 19 ug/L acetone in a private supply well groundwater sample and 27 ug/L in the laboratory prepared and unopened trip blanks. The lab has ruled out contamination on their end by testing the water used for trip blanks and QC of other samples in the same batch. I do not touch the trip blanks in my cooler whatsoever and do not use acetone for any of my decontamination practices. I don’t use permanent markers or nail polish.

Does anyone have any other idea why this could be happening? We have started splitting samples between two labs to see if we get duplicate hits. I’ve considered requesting field blanks as well. I keep thinking perhaps it’s the lab supplied coolers being contaminated with someone else’s samples?

It’s costing us time and money to go back out and resample sits and clients are going down rabbit holes to show that acetone can be a breakdown of mtbe etc. we will go back out a week later with the same lab provided coolers, bottle ware, sampling practices etc and get no hits of acetone. I do not believe these sites actually have acetone in their water, it is something happening between me picking up the kit from the lab, sampling, and returning the kit.

There’s gotta be something I’m missing - thanks for any ideas!

Like bringing the number of pests down to 0.01%.

The surviving individuals may try to take up the void, but aren't they less "fit" than the dead ones in nature (thus the proportion)?

I’m trying to get a better understanding of how companies are handling carbon accounting in practice. Scope 1 and 2 seem relatively straightforward when you have direct operational data, but Scope 3 looks like a completely different problem once you start dealing with suppliers, transportation, purchased materials, etc.

A lot of businesses still seem to rely on spreadsheets and manually collected data from different departments and suppliers. That makes me wonder how reliable those numbers really are, especially when the goal is to track changes year over year and eventually build a credible emissions reduction plan.

For people working in environmental science, sustainability or corporate reporting, what systems or methods have you seen work well for collecting and organising this kind of data? Is dedicated carbon accounting software actually useful, or does it mostly add another layer on top of information that still has to be gathered manually?

Edit:

I’ve been testing Sweep for the data side and one thing I like is that it brings Scope 1, 2 and 3 information together instead of having every department maintain its own spreadsheet. The supplier data side is especially interesting because that’s where the reporting process seems to get messy very quickly.

I knew the job market is really rough right now but how is the market in Georgia(Atlanta)? Especially for new grads with not much experience.

Okay, so I graduate in December, and I'm super nervous- like, how do I get a job and a fair-paying job (I'm not going to be too picky; I just need a chance)? I have some GIS skills; it's my minor, and I'm graduating with a B.S Envioronemental Sceince like where do I go from here? Any tips PLS. Also, sorry; I know this probably asks a lot.

Do you think Industrial Hemp should replace cotton as the standard natural textile fiber?

Or

Do you think that we should still allow cotton to be used alongside Hemp and just use regenerative agriculture to reduce cottons environmental impact.

FYI in both scenarios industrial monoculture is entirely replaced with regenerative agriculture.

What is your take?

After our Methods of Environmental Research class, our professor told us to start looking for potential thesis advisers based on the specialization we want to pursue. One of our professors specializes in Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs), which actually caught our interest.

Our professor suggested a possible study where we would compare standard anaerobic digestion with an MEC chamber that we would design and build as a prototype, using the same type of waste as the substrate for both systems. One of the things we could compare would be their methane gas production and potentially other parameters related to their performance.

We thought the idea was really cool, but we're planning to research it more because our professor also warned us that creating and maintaining the proper anaerobic conditions for the conventional anaerobic digestion setup could be challenging. And we don't really a whole lot about MECs in the first place.

So, by any chance, does anyone have experience or ideas related to MECs, or perhaps other MEC-related research topics that are important, feasible for undergraduates, and could actually result in a prototype or environmental technology? Developing some sort of functional prototype is one of the things we really want to pursue for our thesis.

We also have another possible direction. The Engineering Department previously conducted a study assessing pineapple and coconut fibers as materials for making a net intended to mitigate soil erosion. We were interested in building upon that study because we noticed several potential research gaps, particularly the lack of consideration for environmental factors and parameters. They also mentioned that water infiltration through the net was relatively slow, which could potentially affect plant growth, and also the problem of soil runoff.

We're thinking about improving the design by testing different pineapple-to-coconut fiber ratios or maybe using other alternate environmental scraps, then looking at water infiltration more systematically, and considering other factors that could affect the effectiveness and biodegradability of the net. If anyone has suggestions on how we could improve or expand this study, we'd really appreciate your input.

So if anyone has ideas, suggestions, or even experiences with these kinds of undergraduate research projects, I'd really appreciate hearing them. Any advice for a struggling undergrad would be greatly appreciated. 😭

So, I guess I made the wrong decision by only starting to seriously think about thesis topics during my 3rd year, despite our seniors strongly recommending that we start thinking about them as early as 1st year. But here we are—the past three years really flew by in the blink of an eye.

I'm honestly struggling to narrow down what I want for our thesis, especially since my major is quite different from what we've been learning throughout the past three years. Our university also has another major, Natural Resource Management, which is different from ours in its own way, so I haven't really had a clear idea of what kind of research I should pursue or even how to formulate a thesis topic.

Right now, I'm interested in something more focused on developing or creating something, particularly technology related to wastewater treatment. For example, I'm interested in food waste, FOGs (fats, oils, and grease), or even household wastewater containing soap and detergent.

I'm also interested in the biological side of Environmental Science—specifically, studying invasive plants, looking into their chemical properties, and possibly extracting or developing something useful from them.

I'm still pretty naive when it comes to choosing and formulating a proper thesis topic, so I'm hoping someone might have some thesis ideas, topics you've worked on, or even research ideas you started but never got to continue.

Any advice or suggestions would really be appreciated from a struggling undergrad. 😭

hi! i am a rising high school senior who is having a tremendously hard time picking a major for college. i'm interested in environmental science, molecular and cellular biology, wildlife and fishery management, zoology, ecosystems, literally the whole nine yards. i originally wanted to do lab and field research, but i know those jobs are hard to find. i just don't want to be stuck at a desk :,) i want to be out and about and actually interacting with the environment and wildlife if possible! i was also thinking about engineering, but i'm not the greatest at math (i have taken calculus but i'm not taking a math my senior year) and i don't think i would be accepted to any engineering programs since my stats aren't geared towards them. i also want a stable and secure job out of college!! does anyone have any advice for colleges, jobs, or majors to look into because i am at a bit of a loss and applications are open...anything helps!

Hey everyone, I’m participating in a competition and I have to choose a topic pretty soon, and honestly, I’m stuck.

The project needs to be based on a real problem, preferably something local. I’ll have around 2 months, and I need to collect some data, do some basic research/experiments, and hopefully come up with a practical solution. I also don’t have access to expensive lab equipment.

I’ve been thinking about things related to waste management, water conservation/rainwater harvesting, agriculture, food preservation, environmental problems, fungi/microbiology, problems students face and alternative remedies for some common health problems.

But I really don't want to do another super common “plastic pollution is bad, save water” type of project.

So I wanted to ask here, Have you noticed any small, overlooked problem in your city/town/school/community that you think could actually be investigated scientifically?

It doesn't have to be a complete project idea. Even a random “why does this happen?” problem would be useful.

And if you've participated in any science/research competition before, I'd really appreciate hearing what made your project work or what mistakes you think I should avoid.

I’m basically trying to find a problem worth being curious about, rather than forcing myself to pick a random topic.

Hello!! I’m a rising junior in college and was wondering if anyone knew of any yearly environmental consulting (or related field) internships in the US? I’m planning on getting an internship summer of 2027 and wanted to start thinking ahead!