ABINGTON, Pa. — Penn State Abington students gained hands-on career experience while contributing to the internationally recognized ArbNet Level I arboretum accreditation for the 50-plus acre suburban Philadelphia campus.
After Abington was invited to become a founding member of the University’s Commonwealth Arboreta Network (CAN) in late 2023, Shelly Grinar-Boyd, assistant teaching professor of biology and Integrative Science, immediately tied students into the effort to prepare the campus for accreditation.
“Since its inception, the arboretum has been the source of student collaboration through undergraduate research and Abington Honors courses as well as outside organizations like the Abington Art Center and the Abington Township Shade Tree Commission,” Grinar-Boyd said.
Students in an environmental science class leaned into the Global Learning and Observation Benefits the Environment (GLOBE) citizen science app as a platform for submitting information about the campus. They learned the importance of tree height and diameter for estimating carbon uptake and other ecosystem service values while using their personal devices as hypsometers to measure the height of hundreds of trees.
Meanwhile, students in SUST 242N: Issues in Sustainability and environmental science courses planted 20 native shrubs and saplings, and SUST 150N: The Science of Sustainable Development students collaborated with a local business to design and plant a permaculture-based botanical garden.
In late 2024, the initiative to transform the campus into a registered arboretum received a boost with a $25,000 Undergraduate Community Engagement Research Award, which supports faculty-led student projects at the Commonwealth Campuses that aim to improve community well-being.
Theresa Giardino, regional senior director of campus relations for six Commonwealth Campuses including Abington, coordinated with Bartlett Tree Experts to complete a comprehensive tree inventory of the campus, a step required to earn accreditation.
New funding through the end of 2025 supported student-driven projects including the installation of the botanical garden, four raised garden beds, and the planting of 50 more native trees and shrubs.
Through their work, students developed their leadership and research skills, two of the four areas of the Abington Experience that support their transition from campus to career. By deepening their understanding of course material, exploring new areas, and collaborating in teams, they applied their learning to practical situations.
"CAN and the ArbNet accreditation strengthen the Abington Experience, where students develop the career skills necessary to lead and serve through rigorous research with faculty mentors, hands-on learning, and real-world perspective,” Abington Chancellor Gary Liguori said. “I'm deeply thankful to the faculty, staff, and students whose scholarship and stewardship made this achievement possible and continue to shape our campus as a vibrant center of discovery and connection.”
"This recognition reflects the strength of our academic mission, and our commitment to continue building an environment where learning, community, and the natural environment flourish,” he said.