Ferrum, VA, September 10, 2025 – As part of the Ferrum College Science Seminar Series, the 2025 Ferrum College Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality Team will present a seminar on Friday, September 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Garber Hall, Room 106. The program is free and open to the public as well as the campus community.
The presentation will cover preliminary results from the 39th sampling season at Smith Mountain Lake. The Ferrum College Water Quality Team will share insights and early findings from their summer research and collaboration with the Smith Mountain Lake Association. The 2025 student technicians, Richard Marshall, Arron McNeal, and Nate True, will reflect on their hands-on experiences and discuss the vital work being done to monitor and protect the lake’s water quality.
The Water Quality Team includes two professors emeriti as senior scientists, Dr. Bob Pohlad and Dr. David Johnson. The co-directors are Dr. Delia Heck, provost of Ferrum College, and Dr. Clay Britton, associate professor and program coordinator of biology and agricultural sciences. Other program scientists are Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Biology Dana Ghioca-Rhobrecht and Instructor of Biology Chekka Lash. Ms. Carol Love is the laboratory manager and Mr. Tom Hardy is the Smith Mountain Lake Association liaison.
Dr. Pohlad reflected on the program’s 39 years of college-community collaboration, writing, “We are thankful for all of the students who have worked and learned in our program as well as the volunteers we work with at the Smith Mountain Lake Association and beyond. We are also thankful for the support of AEP (American Electric Power) as we all work together to keep Smith Mountain Lake healthy for everyone.” On sampling days, with the help of community volunteers, the team measured lake parameters such as water temperature, conductivity, pH, and oxygen; sampled for bacteria; and collected algae samples.
“The Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality project reflects Ferrum College’s commitment to student learning and community impact. Our students gain invaluable experience as scientists while helping protect one of Virginia’s most treasured resources. I’m proud of their dedication and grateful to our faculty for guiding this important work,” said Ferrum College President Mirta M. Martin.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about local environmental research and hear directly from the students making it happen.
September 19: Dylan Irby ’24 – Wetland Delineation and Environmental Consulting. (Irby works for Dewberry Consulting in Danville.)
Later this semester: presentations by Ferrum College student scientists
Click here for Ferrum College Smith Mountain Lake Water Quality Program page.
Click here for Smith Mountain Lake Association Water Quality Monitoring site.
Click here to read Smith Mountain Lake Eagle article on SML Water Quality Program.
