Finding Her Place at Bucknell Through Research: Shelby Kaminsky '29

"My involvement in research has opened so many doors for me and has really allowed me to feel more connected to Bucknell as a whole."

Shelby Kaminsky '29 initially had her sights set on a larger research institution and applied to Bucknell largely at the encouragement of others. Then an offer to join the Engineering Merit Scholars Program prompted her to take a closer look.

"I got this amazing offer to be an engineering merit scholar, and I decided that maybe I should give my decision more thought," she says. 

When Kaminsky attended an admitted students day, a professor showed her the laboratory spaces used by engineering students. She was struck by how readily undergraduates could become involved in research, not years into their education. She was sold.

The scholarship gave Kaminsky, an environmental engineering major from Baldwin, Md., something she had sought: the opportunity to begin meaningful research immediately, on day one.

During the academic year, Kaminsky works with Professor Matthew McTammany, biology and environmental sciences, on a long-running collaboration with the Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance. Volunteers collect quarterly water samples from sites throughout the watershed, which extends through Union County. Kaminsky processes those samples in the lab, measuring suspended particulates, phosphorus, nitrogen and ion concentrations to help researchers understand water quality and the possible effects of surrounding agricultural activity.

Much of the monitoring has been conducted by generations of Bucknell student researchers. They now have approximately 20 years of consistently collected and processed data — a significant milestone for a volunteer-supported water monitoring initiative.

She is also beginning a new phase of the research to explore whether leaves and other natural materials absorb nutrients from waterways.

"I absolutely love being out in the field," she says. "I joke that my happy place is in a pair of waders."

Her merit scholar research helped her prepare to pursue a separate, full-time research experience the summer after her first year at Bucknell. She worked with Professor Angela Abarca-Perez, environmental engineering, to investigate the possible presence of PFOS, commonly called "forever chemicals," in local waterways. Support from the McKenna Foundation provided a stipend and housing, enabling her to live on campus and devote the summer to research. 

During the academic year, she also works as a teaching assistant in the environmental engineering & science laboratory, where she prepares laboratory exercises, assists with equipment and learns to operate sophisticated instruments.

For Kaminsky, the lab has become more than a place to apply technical expertise. It's also where she has found mentors, friends and a strong sense of belonging.

Before arriving at Bucknell, she had wondered if Bucknell would be the right fit for her. But she began building her own community before she even moved to campus. Throughout the summer, she participated in Zoom meetings with other members of her merit scholar group. Seeing those familiar faces when she arrived on campus for move-in helped ease the transition.

"The merit scholar program is a really great cohort of students,” she says. "We are all doing research projects, and we are all naturally curious people who are interested in each other's work."

Her research has also introduced her to faculty and staff throughout Bucknell's collaborative scientific community. A connection made through one lab can lead to a new mentor, position, or research opportunity elsewhere, she says.

"My involvement in research has opened so many doors for me," she says, "and has really allowed me to feel more connected to Bucknell as a whole."

Those relationships are also shaping what she imagines for her future. Kaminsky plans to pursue graduate study and is considering becoming a professor, a path that would allow her to combine teaching with laboratory and field research.

"The faculty here are excellent teachers, but they also have time to be doing research that they are personally interested in," she says. "From being part of that, it seems like a very good model for my future."