I am Dr. Melanie Szulczewski (pronounced “Scholl-chess-ski”), a soil chemist and environmental science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
I have lived and worked in many parts of the world, investigating contaminated and degraded soils in the United States (in the mid-West, the Everglades and southern Florida, and the Chesapeake Bay watershed), in the Sahel region of Africa and South Africa, Poland, and Jamaica. My research interests include studying soils and streams contaminated with heavy metals, as well as environments degraded due to excessive nutrients (nitrogen or phosphorus), desertification, and other forms of human interference.
With all this experience in international and local extension work, I also examines the effects of human behavior on the environment, both as a cause and potential solution, through sustainability projects and initiatives.
Courses I teach: Principles of Environmental Sustainability, Environmental and Ecological Systems, Global Environmental Problems, Pollution Prevention Planning, Environmental Geochemistry, Environmental Regulations, Environmental Exploration (with study abroad trips to South Africa, Jamaica, Ireland, and the Galapagos), Senior Portfolio and Career Preparation
