A new undergraduate has joined the Superfund Research Center in Dr. Julian Schroeder's lab since Summer of this year. Didra Felix will be assisting in plant tissue testing for heavy metal contaminants from fruits and vegetables collected from south east San Diego community garden, Ocean View Growing Grounds and UCSD community garden, Roger's Community Garden. 

Didra Felix has also been awarded a grant from The Green Initiative Fund from the Student Sustainability Center of UCSD to expand her heavy metal pollutant plant tissue testing program on UCSD campus. She will be working with Dr. Pezzoli in the Bioregional Center for Sustainable Planning and Design for toxicant mapping of all community gardens and sites of food production on campus. Didra will work with these community gardens to collect soil samples and operate a small greenhouse at Roger's Community Garden to grow all plant samples. This not only opens a new paridigm for Superfund toxicant testing and tracking with an outside source of funding, but creates an opportunity for local action by the Superfund that produces meaningful results.