Mario Gandelsonas, Princeton’s Class of 1913 Lecturer in Architecture, professor of architecture, and director of the Program in Urban Studies, has been leading an assessment of the New Jersey Meadowlands (pictured) as a potential national climate park that would mitigate the effects of climate change. Photo by Morgan Kelly, High Meadows Environmental Institute
With its mix of urban, rural and suburban communities, New Jersey provides fertile ground for Princeton University researchers involved in developing environmental and climate solutions that address an array of global concerns.
“I think as scientists we want our methodologies and research to be very general, but it’s also very natural to study the impact to the areas around us,” said Ning Lin, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. “I think it’s both of interest and also our duty to contribute to the area where we live and work.”
Some of the key projects Princeton researchers have been pursuing in New Jersey include:
- Understanding how wind turbines affect marine life
- Eliminating ‘forever chemicals’
- Monitoring greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants
- Providing emissions-free electricity
- Helping coastal communities adapt
- Assessing lead contamination in Trenton
- Mitigating climate change amidst urban sprawl
- Improving New Jersey agriculture
- Testing cutting-edge technologies for a net-zero future
