"What drew me to Cabrini was how well the College integrates its social justice mission into everything we do here," Caroline Nielsen, Ph.D., says.
Nielsen says that she is incredibly privileged to work with talented colleagues on a campus with a "shared vision for making the world a better place."
Her teaching style is purposely very hands-on: "I'm a big proponent of active learning that is designed to help students apply the information they are learning in class."
Nitrogen is the focus of most of Nielsen's research. Although it is an important plant nutrient that can help to determine the productivity of entire ecosystems, an excess of nitrogen can be a dangerous environmental pollutant.
Nielsen's research examines how much nitrogen remains in various forms in land-based ecosystems, and how much is lost to the atmosphere and downstream bodies of water.
"I'm particularly interested in how different urban and suburban land uses affect these nitrogen transformation processes," Nielsen says.
Nielsen is also concerned with the health of local watersheds, including Crabby Creek, a tributary of Valley Creek that runs through Tredyffrin Township. She is a participant in the Collaborative Research-Watershed Citizenship Learning Community project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.
"This project allows students and faculty, in collaboration with community members, to do real-world research that contributes directly to conservation efforts," Nielsen reports.
Nielsen earned a Ph.D. in Geological and Environmental Sciences in 2006 from Stanford University, and a B.S. in Environmental Studies in 1998 from Brown University.
Contact information:
Caroline Nielsen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biology
Iadarola Center, Room 206
610-902-8570
cnielsen@cabrini.edu