Worcester State students are stepping out of the classroom and onto the water to protect local ecosystems, equipped with advanced tools that track environmental health in real time.
Through a generous grant from the Fred Harris Daniels Foundation, the university has significantly expanded its capacity to monitor and safeguard regional water resources, creating a high-impact training ground for the next generation of environmental scientists.
The foundation’s support has transformed how the university’s water-quality monitoring group studies local freshwater systems. In collaboration with the city and several regional conservation groups, student researchers are playing a vital role in monitoring the ecological health of the city’s ponds, lakes, and streams.
Since 2022, Worcester State has teamed up with Worcester’s Lakes and Ponds program to expand official monitoring efforts.
“We collaborate with them to monitor Coes Pond, Cook’s Pond, Patch Reservoir, and associated stream sites,” said Dr. Laura Reynolds, assistant professor of Earth Science. “Following their methods, we collect a very similar type of data and share that with them, as well as with the state Department of Environmental Protection and local community groups.”
Those community partners include the Friends of Patch Reservoir, the Tatnuck Brook Watershed Association, and the Greater Worcester Land Trust.
Previously, students and faculty were limited to testing water twice a month. With the Daniels Foundation funding, the department purchased a continuous conductivity sensor that completely changes the scope of their research, providing a remarkably detailed and ongoing, real-time picture of how area waterways respond to major storms and shifting weather patterns.
The grant also targets the health of local lakes and ponds, funding the purchase of specialized equipment to measure nitrate and phosphorus. By tracking these nutrients, the monitoring group can better predict triggers for harmful algal blooms, which threaten aquatic habitats and recreational use.
While the city funds outside laboratory testing, the turnaround time for that data can stretch out. The new equipment allows the Worcester State team to shorten that timeline, while opening the door for year-round testing. Instead of stopping when the city’s seasonal program ends in November, students can now monitor through the winter and spring to catch a critical, previously unmapped phenomenon: the “first flush” of winter melting into spring.
The real-time observation has already paid off. Student researcher Morrison Bonilla ’27 said the immediacy of the tools allows students to spot emerging ecological threats on the fly. “We went out today and saw a bunch of cyanobacteria in Patch Reservoir,” she said, as she and other students analyzed samples in a campus lab.
To safely conduct this fieldwork, the grant also supported the purchase of a lightweight canoe. The physical upgrade is a welcome relief for the team, who previously had to drag a heavy canoe a long distance to access the water.
“Environmental science should be taught in the field, facing real-world challenges,” added Dr. Allison L. Dunn, Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth, Environment, and Physics. “Before the Daniels Foundation grant, our data was a series of disconnected snapshots. With the continuous sensors and the new canoe, our students can safely map the complex, real-time pulse of an entire watershed. It has transformed our research capabilities and given students a competitive edge in the workforce.”
Indeed, for students, the program serves as a critical junction for future career paths, networking, and public service.
Alyssa Spencer ’29, who is aiming for a career in conservation, thrives in the active, outdoor element of the program. “I’ve gained boating experience, which I didn’t have before, and have also learned what it means to work in a very small community. I’ve come to understand not only the local watershed, but how it’s affecting the community,” Spencer said. “Water’s our most needed resource. This is definitely improving my employment prospects.”
For teammate Andrew Cleveland ’27, who wants to be a secondary science teacher, the fieldwork provides an answer to the timeless student question: “When are we ever going to use this information?”
“This is a fantastic example of relating academia to its real-world applications,” Cleveland said. “Think of how important it is for people to have access to clean water. Here, we’re testing water, collecting data, and giving it to the city. This work is going to be really beneficial in the long run.”
These environmental tools represent one element of a university-wide impact fueled by the Daniels Foundation. Beyond the shoreline, the foundation’s grants have enhanced the infrastructure of the campus Teaching Garden and provided instructional materials for education students. In the humanities and social sciences, its funding has supported a student-curated exhibit at the Museum of Worcester and provided transportation for nearly 400 students to conduct coursework on-site at the Worcester Art Museum.
Whether in the lab, garden, or museum gallery, these community-facing projects serve as a direct pipeline to career opportunities, ensuring the Daniels Foundation’s investment pays off for years to come.
This story appeared in the 2026 Donor Impact Statement.