Fleming College

Joseph Gentile

Environmental Technology, 2020

In early March 2022, Joseph Gentile (Environmental Technology 2020) opened an email, stating he was the successful recipient of the highly competitive Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's Undergraduate Student Research Award (NSERC – USRA). The NSERC - USRA grants are highly competitive and are awarded to upper year students in their undergraduate degree to fund ongoing research projects. Joseph will be entering his final year at Trent University, specializing in Water Sciences. Reflecting on receiving this award, Joseph said “Winning a USRA was a surreal experience for me—I never, in my wildest dreams, would have imagined that I would ever get here; at a point in my educational career where I am responsible for designing and conducting an actual scientific study!”

Joseph's post-secondary education started at the Frost Campus, immediately after graduating high school. His experience at Fleming was extremely positive and he's maintained many of the connections with faculty and staff that he made. The campus is conducive to field work and hands-on learning. Visitors to the Frost Campus often remark that the campus buildings seem quiet – in reality, most students are on off-campus field trips or sampling and testing in the back forty. Joseph commented on his time at Fleming, saying, "My Fleming education served as phenomenal exposure to all aspects of my industry. It strengthened my fascination for environmental resources and how best to conserve and monitor them for generations to come! The Environmental Technology program, specifically, was really good at exposing me to all branches of the environmental sciences."

In his second year, Joseph was interested in learning about pathways to university and met with the Pathways Coordinator at Fleming who helped Joseph understand the options available to transfer to an Ontario university. The transition to Trent University has been rewarding and has complemented the skills and experiences he developed at Fleming.

Joseph will be starting his NSERC-USRA research this spring and will be focused on the impacts of land use change on watershed and natural water chemistry. His research will be examining the migration of nutrients, such as nitrate and phosphorous, in response to urbanization and agriculture land cover intensification.

Joseph's career goal is to secure employment in the field of water resource management, source water protection, or environmental compliance monitoring. Reflecting on his combination of college and university education, Joseph says, “I do believe that both my Fleming College and Trent University educational journeys have really helped me to feel prepared entering the workforce!” ▪