Undergraduate research co-ops inspire environmental engineer

Two elective graduate-level courses — Applied Biology for Engineers and Microbiology for Engineers — solidified Naber’s interest in incorporating biology into her engineering career. Inspired by these classes, both taught by David Wendell, associate professor of environmental engineering, Naber asked Wendell about possible research opportunities in his microbiological engineering lab. She worked as a co-op in the lab and still works there part-time as a research assistant while taking classes. 

Wendell’s lab has been running coronavirus testing of dorm wastewater during the pandemic and Naber has been instrumental in the effort. They successfully detected the virus in wastewater which then helped identify a positive student in the dorm. The virus that causes COVID-19 can be detected in wastewater before people are infectious. 

“I love being able to be part of something like this because it’s so important right now,” Naber said. 

Naber also participated in a research project in Wendell’s lab for the Ohio Department of Transportation. The research team developed a process to detect the DNA of endangered hellbender salamanders in water. The current process requires surveyors to go into streams to look for the salamanders or their habitats, which is expensive and disruptive to the natural environment. 

Outside of classes, co-ops and her research work, Naber is involved in campus activities including CEAS Ambassadors — she’s president of the group this year — sharing her experience and giving tours to prospective UC engineering students and their families. She’s also president of the Society of Environmental Engineers and tutors local Cincinnati K-12 students as part of Bearcat Buddies. 

Naber wants to begin working on a Ph.D. after she completes her master’s degree this winter. She’s interested in potentially pursuing a future career that was inspired, in part, by her time at Greenacres. 

“While working at Greenacres, I learned a lot about soil quality, soil health and the microbiome that exists in healthy soil and how that impacts crop growth when you have that established microbiome,” Naber said. 

A healthy microbiome in the soil could be utilized to eliminate or reduce the amount of fertilizer needed, which would stop those chemicals from entering and contaminating waterways and water systems. 

“My long-term goal in my career is to help establish a way that agriculture can utilize those microbiomes in a large industrialized setting,” Naber said. “They wouldn’t have to use as much fertilizer, it makes the water quality a lot better and it’s overall better for the environment.”