The Frontiers of Innovation Scholars Program fosters and supports interdisciplinary academic and community collaboration to help understand and protect the planet. For these reasons undergraduates Didra Felix and Fatima Alcantara, co-mentored by Dr. Julian Schroeder, were chosen to form a soil toxicant map and plant guide for the community gardens and public growing spaces across San Diego to allow the safe cultivation of healthy and safe fruits and vegetables. The FISP is supported by the UC San Diego Strategic Planning process that has identified four research themes to focus on as UCSD builds the student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university of the future. 

This project unites Didra Felix, a plant biologist processing the samples with Dr. Julian Schroeder's lab, will work with an ecologist Fatima Alcantara, whom is part of an on-campus, student-run space Roger's Community Garden. Both these students will then engage the communities of San Diego, especially those that do not have the same access to the education and analytical equipment necessary to determine the safety of their soil and what action is best in navigating potential hazards that may be found. We look forward to seeing this project evolve and bring the Superfund Center into the forefront of student and community collaboration and research at UCSD to accomplish real goals.