People

Michael Burns is a Ph.D. student investigating the underlying meteorological causes of storm events and the statistical trends of their rainfall distributions, with a focus on green infrastructure design protocols. He has a B.S. in Oceanography and Meteorology from Millersville University and M.S. in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Villanova. Aside from being immersed in rainfall data, Michael enjoys the pleasures of the great outdoors, especially when hiking at National Parks or kayaking with his wife.

Katie Ferry is a current Ph.D. student researching the quantification and transport of microplastics through water and soils. She has worked in consulting engineering for the past 22 years on stormwater and wastewater treatment design, permitting, contracting, and construction, and on municipal solid waste management and reduction. Katie received her B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from The Catholic University of America and M.S. in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Villanova University. Katie also enjoys gardening, the NYT crossword puzzle, running in the woods, and camping and canoeing with her husband, 4 kids, and shaggy dog.

Dr. Erica Forgione is a postdoctoral scholar working on environmental sampling of microplastics. She received her doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland with research focused on water quality performance of compost used in a novel green infrastructure system during which she was also an NSF Global STEWARDS fellow. Past research includes the impact of road de-icing salts on constructed stormwater wetlands, national scale urban stormwater pollutant characterization, and science communication of New York City air pollution. She also enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, and art projects whenever opportunity arises.

Bridget Neumann is working towards an MS in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering and plans to graduate in 2025. She graduated from Villanova University in 2023 with a B.S in Civil Engineering. Bridget’s research focuses on microplastics in soil, water, and air deposition at green stormwater infrastructure sites. Bridget also enjoys being with friends and family, spending time by the water, and traveling.

Emma Robert is working towards an MS in Civil Engineering with a focus in Water Resources. She recently graduated from Villanova University with her BS in May 2024. Emma’s research focuses on flow path tracing in ArcGIS to determine where wastewater sources containing iodine are upstream of drinking water sources in the United States. The goal of the research is to identify areas of high potential risk. Outside of school, Emma enjoys travelling, being outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.