IN THE LOOP

Sign up here to receive updates about The Beacon Institute programs and events.


Sandra A. Nierzwicki-Bauer

Sandra A. Nierzwicki-Bauer, Ph.D. is Director of the Darrin Fresh Water Institute and a Professor of Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She earned both her doctoral and undergraduate degrees in microbiology from the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests include use of molecular, biochemical and microscopic techniques to investigate subsurface microbiology, plant symbiotic associations and freshwater ecology.

Nierzwicki-Bauer is actively involved with several environmentally focused organizations. Since 2003, she has served as Rensselaer's representative on the National Council for Science and the Environment: Council of Environmental Deans and Directors. Her expertise related to fresh water resulted in her being asked to provide testimony to the Congressional Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. She is involved in several large interdisciplinary projects focused on the Hudson River; she is a co-principal investigator in RPI's NASA-funded Origin of Life project, and is principal investigator and project director for the Adirondack Effects Assessment Program. She frequently serves on review panels for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency.

Nierzwicki-Bauer is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Microbiology, International Society for Plant Molecular Biology, National Lake Management Society (NALMS), Organization of Biological Field Stations, International Ecological Economics Society, International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL), and American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO).