NSF Grant Gives Nearly $200,000 to Research in Eden Hall Forest

A grant worth nearly $200,000 from the National Science Foundation will allow Chatham University to expand research opportunities using the forest at Eden Hall Campus.

The grant opens new opportunities for research into sustainability and ecology at Eden Hall, an experiential campus on 388 acres of woods and fields in Richland Township, north of Pittsburgh.

Associate Professor Ryan Utz and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Jill Riddell, both of whom are faculty members in Chatham University’s Falk School of Sustainability and Environment, applied for the grant.

“The forests of Eden Hall, like most forests in our region, are heavily impacted by overpopulated deer and rapidly spreading invasive species,” Utz said. “Students and faculty at Eden Hall have conducted extensive research on the ecological impacts of these environmental stressors.

“With this NSF grant, Dr. Riddell and I will be exploring how these problems impact water cycles. Such research has not yet been explored by anyone in the eastern United States, so Chatham students have an unprecedented opportunity to contribute fundamental environmental science research thanks to this support.”