Alexis Slade, a University of Iowa PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering, has received the President's Student Leadership Award. 

The award recognizes an individual student or a student organization that models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership. This is evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.  

Slade is member of the Iowa Superfund Research Program and led the response to a community member’s concerns about PCB emissions from a superfund site in Portland, Oregon. PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls are toxic, man-made, organic chemicals that are hazardous to environmental and human health.  

Notably, Slade facilitated public participation, as community members helped design a study and deployed samples. 

“She predicted and measured airborne PCBs all around Portland, Oregon,” said Keri Hornbuckle, UI Distinguished Chair, CEE professor, and director of the Iowa Superfund Research Program. "Alexis coordinated (community engagement), analyzed the samples, and reported back to the community her findings, which she is now writing up as a peer-reviewed manuscript.” 

Slade was nominated by the UI Office of Community Engagement and selected for the award by Iowa & Minnesota Campus Compact. The award was presented at the Engagement Summit on April 9.

Slade is also a member of the 2023 Graduate Engagement Corps, a program of the Office of Community Engagement which provides graduate and professional students with training in critical areas of community engagement. These include community-engaged teaching, community-engaged research, and building community partnerships.