2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Community-University-Government Partnership to Advance Environmental Justice and Address River Water Quality Concerns

Presented at Community Engagement Division 1 - Empowering Students and Strengthening Community Relationships

This paper presents a community-university-government partnership to advance environmental justice and improve water quality in the Mill River of south-central Connecticut (USA). A community-based participatory research framework is presented by which community knowledge informed scholarly research and actions. Specifically, community engagement with an environmental justice community located in New Haven, CT (USA) was initiated through a series of steering committee meetings which brought together over 50 different individuals, community groups, environmental organizations, universities, and municipalities resulting in scholarly research and action around themes of community science and community engagement. Scholarly research, through an undergraduate summer research program, around a community identified concern of water quality adjacent to a decommissioned power plant is shared. Results, lessons learned, and future work discussed.

Authors

Connor Becerril
Joanna D. Kinsey Quinnipiac University
Courtney McGinnis Quinnipiac University
Dr. John E. Greenleaf, P.E. Quinnipiac University [biography]

John Greenleaf received his Ph.D. from Lehigh University in 2007 and is a licensed professional engineer. In 2013 he joined the faculty of Quinnipiac University to lead the development of a new Civil Engineering program within a newly established engineer
Dr. Kimberly DiGiovanni Quinnipiac University [biography]

Kimberly DiGiovanni, PhD, PE is an Associate Teaching Professor of Civil Engineering at Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT, USA) with expertise in ecological engineering and green stormwater infrastructure. Her teaching is grounded in experiential learning and service-learning experiences. She serves on the executive board of the Mill River Watershed Association and steering committee chair of the Mill River Urban Waters Initiative. Her scholarly collaborations span a variety of entities including both public and private agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.

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