JMU Students Present Their Work on Real-World Environmental Sustainability Challenges
Environmental Stewardship
In advance of Earth Day 2026, three different events featured JMU students’ tangible efforts to tackle environmental sustainability challenges through research and applied projects.
On April 17 and 18, innovation, collaboration and the real-world impact of student work were on display at the annual College of Integrated Science and Engineering (CISE) Student Showcase, held in King Hall and the Engineering/Geosciences Building. The event featured student-led presentations, exhibits, demonstrations and posters, many of which addressed environmental sustainability. Presentation topics included Using Artificial Intelligence to Effectively Classify Waste; Ground-Truthing a Novel Approach to Controlling the Spotted Lantern Fly Invasion; Implementation of a Microgrid System at Tangier Island, Virginia; Sun on Tap: Brewing Beer with Solar Energy; and Automated Residential Water Quality Management System.
A week earlier, on April 11, JMU students presented three talks and six posters at the Fifth Annual Student Sustainability Summit at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). Students and educators from five regional higher education institutions gathered with community members to share sustainability projects, many of which focused on the environment. The event rotates between the partner institutions and was hosted by EMU this year in partnership with Sustainable Shenandoah Valley (SSV), exploring undergraduate research, innovative initiatives and real-world solutions.
Carol Lena Miller, Chair of SSV and Sustainability Program Coordinator with JMU’s Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World and CISE explained, “The summit aims to foster connections between students and local organizations across Sustainable Shenandoah Valley member institutions—Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University, James Madison University and Mary Baldwin University. By celebrating the impactful work already happening across the region, this event seeks to inspire new ideas, partnerships and pathways toward a more sustainable future.”
At the 36th Annual Environment Virginia Symposium, on the campus of Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA, four JMU School of Integrated Sciences student researchers presented in the student poster session on May 25. The conference is described as the Commonwealth’s premier environmental conference which brings together environmental professionals throughout Virginia from government, non-profits, academia and industry.
Dr. Ehren Moler, Assistant Professor in the Integrated Science and Technology Program and faculty advisor for a project on the effect of biochar amendment in large-scale outdoor tree seedling production, noted, “My students felt honored to share results from their ISAT capstone project at the 2026 Environment Virginia Symposium. Their capstone project is in partnership with the Virginia Department of Forestry, which fits the applied science them of the Symposium, where researchers and environmental managers from across the Commonwealth share progress toward greater environmental wellbeing.”
JMU offers seven environmental concentrations within majors, seven environmental minors and numerous environmental undergraduate research experiences.
