Svetoslava Todorova is passionate about her work with aquatic ecosystems. For years, she鈥檚 been bringing small groups of her 黑料不打烊 students to Green Lakes State Park, equipped with gear to measure the make-up of the lake and armed with their natural curiosity about the environment. Despite not knowing how to swim herself, she encourages her students to get as hands-on as possible, telling them not to fear the water.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been concerned about the environment and pollution. I realized that water鈥攂eing one of the most essential resources鈥攚ould be the most important one to take care of,鈥 Todorova says.
Professor Todorova’s class is collecting water samples at Green Lakes State Park.
Taking care of water systems and finding ways to fight mercury contamination has become the life work of Todorova. As a professor of practice in the civil and environmental engineering department in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, she is most proud of her theoretical and experimental work mitigating mercury contamination in lake sediment.
鈥淢ercury is everywhere. It’s in the Earth鈥檚 crust, and that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 found in air, it鈥檚 found in water, it鈥檚 found in soil. However, when it exceeds certain levels, or there are conditions that are conducive to the transfer of mercury to its organic form, that鈥檚 when we have a concern about mercury contamination,鈥 Todorova says.
Mercury is very easy to ingest, but harder to get out of the body. Especially methyl mercury, which is a very poisonous form of the element. Being at the top of the food chain, humans are usually exposed to mercury through fish and meat consumption.
Through her research, she discovered aquatic mercury contamination can be mitigated by utilizing nitrate environments, which decreases aquatic life鈥檚 exposure to mercury. She even played a key role in the development of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international agreement that addresses human activity that leads to widespread mercury contamination.
鈥淭he big issue is the transfer of mercury from soil or its aquatic ecosystems into the food web,鈥 Todorova says. 鈥淭his is how it鈥檚 exposed to humans and wildlife.鈥
Calling her work a drop in the big ocean, Professor Todorova hopes her research contributes to the overall global mission to protect and improve aquatic systems.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I’m doing anything great, but I鈥檓 contributing to the whole knowledge that we all need to be able to take care of the Earth,鈥 Todorova says.
