PFAS Research at Bennington College
Addressing complex environmental challenges through interdisciplinary research, student inquiry, and community partnership.
A Decade of Research Leading to a Statewide Initiative
In 2016, with support from the National Science Foundation, Bennington College faculty and students launched an interdisciplinary research effort to investigate PFAS contamination after its discovery in communities across southern Vermont and neighboring New York. Over the past decade and in collaboration with local communities, agencies, and researchers from partnering institutions, Bennington researchers have investigated how “forever chemicals” can move through air, water, and across landscapes, helping local communities better understand local exposure while informing environmental policy.
PFAS contamination remains one of today’s most complex environmental challenges, and many important questions remain. Although regulation has zeroed in on drinking water contamination, food consumption is also a primary route of exposure. With a strong culture of hunting and foraging, Vermonters’ susceptibility is unknown, as few studies have investigated PFAS bioaccumulation in a terrestrial setting. Understanding how PFAS moves through ecosystems and food webs, including its effects on wildlife and human health, has become an important next phase of research.
With support from a four-year, $7.9 million NSF EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) award, Bennington College has been selected to lead a newly established PFAS Environmental Research Network (PERN) as the coordinating institution to address these questions.
PERN will connect researchers from across disciplines while formally establishing collaboration between Bennington College, Middlebury College, the University of Vermont (UVM), and Landmark College. Together, PERN will strengthen Vermont’s PFAS laboratory systems and generate actionable science.
Beyond advancing scientific understanding, PERN expands opportunities for student and faculty research, strengthens Vermont’s research infrastructure, and will equip communities and policymakers with the evidence needed to make informed decisions about PFAS contamination.
As this initiative develops, additional information will be added to this page.
Latest News
$7.9 Million NSF Investment Brings Vermont Researchers Together to Address ‘Forever Chemical’ Contamination The four-year NSF EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) award will establish collaboration across Bennington College, Middlebury College, the University of Vermont (UVM), and Landmark College to develop actionable understanding of how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) move through water systems and into the food web.
Bennington College Team Finds PFAS Levels Rising in Many Local WellsA Bennington College team received certificates of appreciation from the State of Vermont for their work analyzing well-testing data in a PFAS contamination zone around former ChemFab Corp. factories in the town of Bennington.