The involvement of undergraduate researchers, athletes and students is extremely important to the success of our proposed work. Furthermore, including students in our work will provide an invaluable learning experience to their undergraduate education. It is important to our project to incorporate future environmental scientists who will lead future directions in environmental research, and future sports administrators who will make decisions regarding the wellbeing of athletes and sports facilities (e.g., field surfaces). This project will be managed by a graduate student lead, employ multiple undergraduate student research assistants throughout both phases, open opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in independent study, and present opportunities for student groups and student volunteers to participate in research or perception studies. 

As the graduate student lead, I already have experience mentoring students. Specifically I have been working with a chemical engineering undergraduate student researcher for the last year and have been mentoring a Masters student researcher for two quarters. This project will allow me to continue mentoring students in a research setting and allow me to collaborate with students on field work and stakeholder studies. Our research lab values diversity and inclusion. The lab already has connections with programs that help to place historically marginalized students in research settings, and actively seeks researchers from diverse backgrounds. So recruiting students and volunteers would continue in this vein. 

This campus sustainability project would provide urban field work opportunities for students and allow students to be directly involved in data collection and sample processing. Often field work experiences require a significant time commitment and planning for students to participate, and are usually difficult to schedule around classes and other obligations, but an on campus research opportunity for students to sample turf or collect stormwater will eliminate these barriers, especially for extremely busy student athletes. Further, the opportunity for student athletes to learn about and understand how their field surfaces are designed and impact the surrounding environment and biodiversity of the region is an invaluable connection. This project is transdisciplinary and would not require significant research or STEM background for interested students to get involved in field work or stakeholder perspective studies. The project also provides paid and course credit opportunities for interested students to develop research skills to prepare them for graduate school or future careers.

The project lead and sponsoring department are committed to offering opportunities for historically marginalized students to participate in the project in accordance with their interests, backgrounds, and capabilities. With a special emphasis on incorporating students from indigenous communities. Below are some of the proposed student positions that will be created with each phase of the project:

Phase I (Feasibility Study):

• Funding for two undergraduate students at 6-7 hours per week. One student will primarily do analytical sample processing. The other student will lead the interviews and surveys with interested stakeholders and connect with communities on and off campus. Both students will be co-authors on relevant publications.
• We plan to host an undergraduate student from the Heritage University Engagement Achievement & Graduation for Low-income Students (EAGLES) program or Louis and Stokes Alliance for Minority participation (LSAMP) to conduct summer research. Heritage University is a minority serving institution located on the Yakama Indian Reservation with large populations of indigenous students. Faculty advisor Jessica Ray has hosted EAGLES students previously, and we will continue working with students from indigenous and/or minority communities for the CSF project given the important adverse toxicological impact of tire rubber product leachate to the salmon population and the cultural significance of salmon to tribal communities.
• We plan to partner with Student Athletes of UW for Sustainability (SAUWS) to do outreach and recruit volunteers.
• We will work with SAUWS to understand the perspectives of student athletes in regards to turf surfaces.
• We plan to host a tour of the facilities at the Center for Urban Waters in Fall 2024 to show any interested student volunteers, student athletes, or undergraduate researchers the instrumentation used for this project. 

Phase II (Monitoring and evaluation of alternatives or treatments):

• For Phase II, we will have two paid undergraduate student research positions available. Each position will be for 8 hours a week, and students will contribute to analytical processing of the stormwater samples and any alternative infill options we wish to explore. These positions will allow students to gain direct lab experience and understand the work that goes into environmental sample processing. These students will have the opportunity to participate as co-authors on publications.
• There will also be opportunities for students to participate in the project by enrolling in independent study course credits or volunteering. This would be a great opportunity for students who would like to develop research skills or students in other disciplines who would like to conduct perception studies with interested stakeholders. 
• Student researchers would ideally participate from impacted populations, such as student athletes and indigenous students. These positions will not require significant time commitment from students.