Students train scientists in detecting 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

Geosciences faculty and students at the University of Cincinnati trained scientists on the latest tools to study sources of drinking water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Groundwater Forum.

UC hosted a half-day lecture session led by Professor Reza Soltanian, who studies subsurface energy and hydrogeology, followed by training at UC's Theis–Nash Environmental Monitoring and Modeling Site, a highly instrumented field site along the Great Miami River that monitors the flow and composition of groundwater.

The UC-led portion of the training focused on connecting advances in subsurface science from geologic heterogeneity to groundwater flow, contaminant transport and biogeochemical processes, together with emerging advances in geophysical imaging and AI enabled modeling workflows. The goal was to demonstrate how these concepts translate into field observations and improved predictive capabilities.

“What we are trying to do is connect how the subsurface is structured to how water, contaminants and reactions actually behave,” Soltanian said. “The goal is to carry those ideas consistently from theory and modeling into the field.”

At the observatory, participants engaged with the system through geophysical demonstrations, instrumentation and discussion of hyporheic exchange and redox dynamics in a river floodplain environment. The site enables researchers to observe how groundwater and surface water interact under changing river conditions and how subsurface structure controls mixing and biogeochemical activity.

“The geophysical demonstrations were critical to demonstrating the wide variety of techniques we can use to investigate the subsurface without needing to drill a well,” UC Associate Professor Dan Sturmer said.

“Awareness of these geophysical methods and their individual strengths and weaknesses broadens the potential toolbox that the EPA technical staff can use to evaluate and address subsurface questions.”  

“(The observatory) was developed as a platform for this type of work, combining long-term monitoring, geophysical imaging and advanced modeling in a natural field setting. It serves both as a research facility and as a training environment where scientists and students can engage with complex subsurface systems in real time,” Soltanian said. 

UC students played a central role in the training, leading demonstrations and working directly with EPA technical staff in the field. Students showcased techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography, redox imaging, and electromagnetic induction, which are used to image subsurface structure and guide interpretation of groundwater processes.

“It is a unique experience to work alongside scientists who are applying these methods at sites across the country,” said doctoral student Megan Naber. “We are not just demonstrating tools. We are discussing how to interpret them in complex systems.”

The collaboration reflects a longstanding partnership between UC and the EPA, supported in part by the proximity of EPA research facilities near campus and ongoing joint research efforts.

“This kind of engagement is exactly what the Theis–Nash Environmental Monitoring and Modeling Site was designed to support,” Soltanian said. “It’s a platform where research, training and collaboration come together.”