While in Pisa (Italy) last week, Anna Paltseva represented Purdue University at two international soil science events — SUITMA 13 and the FAO Global Symposium on Soil Sealing and Urban Soils. At SUITMA, she presented results from a USDA NRCS–funded collaboration, part of the agency’s first Urban Soil Survey, focused on mapping heavy metal concentrations[Read More…]
Anna Paltseva co-authored a new article in Chemosphere with colleagues from the University at Buffalo. The study, “Harnessing dried mycelium membranes for rapid and efficient lead cleanup in soils,” demonstrates that dried mycelium membranes can remove up to 80% of lead from contaminated soils within just 8 days. This innovative, sustainable approach provides a fast[Read More…]
Anna Paltseva just published a review article in the journal SOIL that evaluates portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) technology as a rapid, cost-effective alternative to traditional laboratory methods for detecting heavy metal contamination in urban soils, finding that when properly calibrated, PXRF can reliably identify contamination hotspots to support safer urban agriculture and community gardening initiatives.[Read More…]
Anna Paltseva presented at the 4th World Conference of the Society for Urban Ecology in Istanbul, Turkey, where she spoke about the role of soils in blue-green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. She also gave a virtual guest lecture for the Technical University of Berlin’s Institute of Ecology, as part of their Urban Ecosystem Science course.[Read More…]
Anna Paltseva, invited by the editor of iScience, published a perspective article introducing a framework for participatory urban soil research, followed by a companion piece sharing the backstory of her fieldwork and research approach. She was also recently invited to visit Dr. Gabriel Filippelli’s lab at Indiana University, where she spoke with students about environmental contaminants, community science,[Read More…]
At the Indiana Small Farm Conference 2025, Anna Paltseva joined Gabriel Filippelli from IU and Nathan Shoaf from Purdue Extension for the session “Lead Ahead: New Insights for Safer Soil Practices,” where they explored the challenges of legacy lead contamination in soils and its impact on food safety and farm sustainability. Their discussion highlighted how science-driven solutions[Read More…]
Anna Paltseva was invited to present “Heavy Metals and Microplastics in Urban Soils” at the Indiana Association of Soil Classifiers meeting on Feb. 24 in Danville, IN, where she discussed the growing concern of microplastic contamination in urban soils alongside heavy metals. Her presentation highlighted the sources, impacts, and research challenges surrounding these emerging pollutants, sparking insightful discussions[Read More…]
Last week Anna Paltseva attended and presented at the Indiana Green Expo 2025 (Feb. 10-12,) in Indianapolis, the largest Green Industry conference in the state. In her presentation “Soil Health and Its Role in Sustainable Landscaping” she discussed soil management strategies for greener urban spaces. On Feb. 18th, Anna was the featured guest expert at SYNKD’s Virtual Happy[Read More…]
Dr. Anna Paltseva took the stage at SYNKD Live in Atlanta, where she moderated an engaging panel discussion on how curiosity drives innovation. The session inspired fresh ideas and practical insights for advancing the green industry. In addition, Dr. Paltseva coauthored the study “Nickel phytotoxicity thresholds for ryegrass: Insights from historical copper smelting sites in Bashkortostan, Russia.“ This research[Read More…]