“My research focuses on the impact of municipal biosolids on soil health. So, what I do, basically, is I’m trying to see how biosolids affect the microbial activity of the soil due to some emerging contaminants like PFAS and pharmaceuticals. Are these contaminants in the biosolids, are they affecting the fertility of the soil or are they enhancing it?

I’m originally from Nigeria, and growing up there, I always wanted to see how to better the environment. In Nigeria, you can see there is a lot of waste disposal just on the streets and things like that. And then you’re wondering, ‘What is going on? This isn’t right.’ I felt like, ‘OK, maybe this is an opportunity for me to see what I can do.’

So, I found myself in environmental toxicology for my undergrad. My project was about assessing organochlorine pesticides in wildlife. So, how is that affecting wildlife? How is it affecting their tissue? Their organs?

Afterward, I moved to South Africa, where I got my master’s degree in environmental health. When I was there, my project was about assessing endocrine-disrupting compounds in the Limpopo River. Asking, are there pollutants in the water that people use to drink, use to bathe? Are there viruses? Are there pharmaceuticals that may be affecting the health of people there?

After my master’s, I tried to look for a job, but I didn’t get a job. So, I’m like, ‘OK, I’m just going to apply for my Ph.D.’ I applied to the U. My advisor told me, ‘These are the projects that we have. What would you be interested in?’ Because I’ve not really worked on soil before, and I’m like, ‘OK, this is going to be a good thing to venture into actual soil.’

The implication of soil health (on environmental engineering and environmental science) is that it sits at the center of many environmental systems. Healthy soil supports food security, crop production and ecosystem resilience. So, if the health of the soil is bad, it’s also going to affect all of these systems. And another thing is, while biosolids have a lot of valuable nutrients in them, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, they can also contribute to nutrient leaching into groundwater if not properly managed. We also don’t want that. That’s why all of these are, I’ll say, very interconnected; like the soil, the environment, the water quality and sustainability are what drives my research.

I love to communicate science. I love telling people about what I do, and I’m a part of the STEM Ambassador Program here at the U.

One of my projects is to talk to the K-12 students about research, about environmental engineering. The most important reason why I decided to actually become a STEM ambassador is the fact that I’ve spoken to a lot of my friends—both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens—and I realized that a lot of this coming generation, most of them don’t want to go to college because they’re like, ‘Why should I go to college? After high school, I can just get a job and be fine and everything.’ I feel we communicate science to them and say, ‘See, I was also like you, I was from this stage of my life till I got here and I feel like you can also do the same thing.’ I believe representation, storytelling and honest conversations matter.

I’m an environmental engineer, and when I tell people that I’m working with soil, they’re like, ‘Why are you doing soil? Aren’t you supposed to be building something?’ In reality, environmental engineering also involves microbiology, chemistry and environmental science and I feel like if I’m able to communicate that to people, especially the people who don’t really understand, it helps their knowledge and then it helps them to say, ‘Oh, OK, maybe this is something I can also go into.’

The most important thing to me is encouraging the students to think intentionally about their futures. Are they thinking, ‘What do I want to do when I grow up? What is my goal?’ And that I can communicate to them, ‘Think about what you can do, how you can give back to your community or you can give back to the environment and also be happy with yourself. It would be good if you could make an impact on your society.’”

—Helen Salako, environmental engineering doctoral candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering