Since its launch in April 2015, Bucknell University's Coal Region Field Station has empowered students, faculty and local partners to collaboratively address challenges in Pennsylvania's lower anthracite Coal Region — an area deeply affected by the decline of the coal industry.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the station, overseen by the Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment (BCSE), has connected over 700 students through more than 100 classes and 125 interwoven projects with 25-plus local partners. These efforts have collectively generated over $3.5 million in funding for community-driven initiatives.

Students from Bucknell's Integrated Perspectives class, Local Climate Action Planning, present posters on Kulpmont survey data at the 2025 Sustainability Symposium. Students include (L to R): Maddy Massa '27, Abbey Vermillion '26, Haylee Erme '27, Chloe Benner '27 and Dawson Hastings '27. Photo by Shaunna Barnhart

The impact was recently celebrated at the BCSE's 12th Annual Sustainability Symposium, where participants explored how the field station has transformed local skepticism into optimism.

"Field station efforts focus on possibility, rather than dismissing ideas of what can succeed," says Shaunna Barnhart, director of BCSE's Place Studies Program, who oversees the station's initiatives.

The field station community partnership was on display at an Earth Day event on April 22 at Kulpmont's Veterans Memorial Sports Complex. Environmental science students from Shamokin, Lourdes Regional and Mount Carmel Area high schools rotate through educational stations on environmental topics. Among the presenters were Olyssa Starry, director of Bucknell's Sustainable Technology and Built Environment Program, and Kristie Semanchik '25, who led a session on stormwater management.

With support from the BCSE, Zane Hensal '26 has helped Kulpmont develop a plan for the community's energy and transportation future, informed by his experience interning with state government and the Department of Environmental Protection in Williamsport.

"Zane's dedication to community revitalization shares a valuable lesson all Bucknellians should take away," says Barnhart. "His work shows that students have agency to make an impact while also developing leadership and public service skills."

Students from the Italian Environment and Culture and Grand Challenges classes visited the largely abandoned Coal Region town Centralia this spring for a talk by author David DeKok, who donated his Centralia research archives to Bucknell. They are housed in Bertrand Library. Photo by Anna Paparcone, Bucknell University

Currently, nine active projects span four University classes working with Coal Region communities. Many of these projects build on prior years' efforts to maintain continuity and deepen impact.

One such example began with a Management 400 course that helped reopen the Mt. Carmel Area Community Pool and later established the Mt. Carmel Area Community Center. Students have also contributed to environmental planning in the area.

"We work to ensure that projects are connected together over time so we can continue the progress of the field station moving forward in different ways," says Barnhart.

Matt McMullen '24, an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) assigned to Bucknell, now leads several sustainability projects in Shamokin. His initiatives include developing the capacity to implement the city’s environmental resiliency plan and securing funding for solar panels at Shamokin’s Strausser-Shroyer Memorial Pool.

McMullen began his work as a student in 2022 and has witnessed the transformation firsthand.

"In the three years since I’ve been doing research in the region, I’ve seen a lot of change and progress," he says. "People are starting to realize they deserve more, and they’re becoming more aware of how much Shamokin’s worth."

Other current projects include:

• Conducting shade tree mapping and proposal for a shade tree commission
• Supporting local foraging initiatives with financial assistance from a $1,000 Partners for Campus-Community Engagement grant
• Collaborating with Mount Carmel Area School District to design a Centralia-focused curriculum
• Supporting Shamokin Community Gardens Group with branding and web development
• Partnering with Lower Anthracite Transit Systems (LATS) to promote expanded routes to Sunbury and Shamokin Dam, projected to boost annual ridership by 12,000
• Releasing a podcast series, Coal Region Rising, showcasing local community leaders

As the field station moves into its second decade, Bucknell continues to demonstrate how academic-community partnerships can drive sustainable development and long-term change.