{"id":5657,"date":"2026-01-21T13:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2026\/along-the-walk\/eye-on-environmental-health\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T09:25:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:25:59","slug":"eye-on-environmental-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2026\/along-the-walk\/eye-on-environmental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye on Environmental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Avery Sands \u201926 conducting research in the field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Avery Sands \u201926, a Trinity College\u00a0environmental science\u00a0major with a minor in\u00a0legal studies, has been awarded a National Environmental Leadership Fellowship by the\u00a0Rachel Carson Council\u00a0(RCC), one of the nation\u2019s oldest environmental advocacy organizations. This honor\u2014given to only 35 students across the country\u2014supports her research and community outreach efforts focused on environmental health and justice in urban communities.<\/p>\n

Sands, from Marshfield, Massachusetts, is conducting her fellowship research under the mentorship of\u00a0Amber L. Pitt, associate professor of environmental science. Her research investigates mercury concentrations in urban pond sediments in and around Hartford, Connecticut, with a focus on identifying spatial patterns and understanding how these pollutants may vary in densely populated urban areas in relation to industries that historically emitted mercury.<\/p>\n

Using standard sediment sampling and analysis methods developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sands aims to contribute new scientific data to the growing body of research on small urban freshwater ecosystems and their environmental challenges.<\/p>\n

Her research aims to connect scientific data with environmental justice, combining fieldwork and lab work with community outreach on and off campus. Her efforts, conducted in collaboration with local organizations, are designed to engage residents across generations in discussions about urban environmentalism and public health. By bridging science and community, Sands hopes to elevate local voices and to advocate for policy attention in underserved urban areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cUrban areas are often left out of environmental monitoring and sustainability planning,\u201d Sands said. \u201cMy goal is to highlight the environmental health of these ecosystems and ensure that urban communities are part of the conversation and the solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Avery Sands \u201926, a Trinity College\u00a0environmental science\u00a0major with a minor in\u00a0legal studies, has been awarded a National Environmental Leadership Fellowship by the\u00a0Rachel Carson Council\u00a0(RCC), one of the nation\u2019s oldest environmental advocacy organizations. This honor\u2014given to only 35 students across the country\u2014supports her research and community outreach efforts focused on environmental health and justice in urban […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"parent":5511,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5657","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEye on Environmental Health - The Trinity Reporter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2026\/along-the-walk\/eye-on-environmental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eye on Environmental Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Avery Sands \u201926, a Trinity College\u00a0environmental science\u00a0major with a minor in\u00a0legal studies, has been awarded a National Environmental Leadership Fellowship by the\u00a0Rachel Carson Council\u00a0(RCC), one of the nation\u2019s oldest environmental advocacy organizations. 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