Northern Illinois University
Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Research Interests

• Environmental microbiology and chemistry
• Contaminant hydrogeology

Research Activities

• Antibiotics, Pharmaceuticals, and Personal Care Produce
  • Natural attenuation of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in laboratory columns
  • Fate and transport of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in karst
  • Analysis of groundwater and surface water
• Research on groundwater in the Yucatan Peninsula (with Rosa Maria Leal-Bautista, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatán)
  • NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site on water quality and resources in Yucatan Peninsula 
  • Co-PI: Ken Voglesonger at Northeastern Illinois University
  • View researchers 
  • Learn more about projects 
• Microplastics (with Megan Brown)
  • Fate and transport of microplastics in groundwater systems
  • Detection of micro and nanosized particles in water systems with Elizabeth Gaillard
• Illinois Based Projects
  • Examination of Kishwaukee River water quality
  • Impact of Prairie Restoration on Water Quality and Resources with Megan Brown and Holly Jones 
• Business And Science: Integrated Curriculum for Sustainability (BASICS) 
  • New approach to transdisciplinary sustainability curriculum in higher education with Christine Mooney 

Selected Publications

• Casas-Beltrán, D., C. Gallaher, E. Hernandez Yak, K. Febles Moreno, K. Voglesonger, R. Leal-Bautista, M. Lenczewski. 2020. Seaweed Invasion! Temporal Changes in Beach Conditions Lead to Increasing Cenote Usage and Contamination in the Riviera Maya. Sustainability 2020, 12(6), 2474; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062474
• Leal-Bautista R.M., Díaz-Cruz R., Suárez M.C., Lenczewski M, Acosta-González G. Grimaldo H. C. 2019. Efectividad de la calidad del agua de un sistema de distribución: un caso de estudio en un área turística / Effectiveness of water quality a distribution system: a case study in a tourist área. Sociedad y Ambiente n. 21, p. 53-75, https://doi.org/10.31840/sya.v0i21.2039. doi:10.31840/sya.v0i21.2039 
• Grzybowski, M., M. Lenczewski and Y. Oo. 2019. Water quality and physical hydrogeology of the Amarapura Township, Mandalay, Myanmar. Hydrogeology Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-018-01922-9
• Moore, A., M. Lenczewski R. Leal-Bautista, and M. Duvall. 2019. Groundwater microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance linked to human population density in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.  Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 2019, 66(1): 46-58, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjm-2019-0173
• Peterson, J., M. E. Lenczewski, S. R. Clawson and J. P. Warnock. 2017. Role of sediment size and biostratinomy on the development of biofilms in recent avian vertebrate remains. Front. Earth Sci.  doi: 10.3389/feart.2017.00030
• Aga, D.S., M. Lenczewski, D.D. Snow, J. Muurinen, J. Sallach, and J. Wallace. 2016. Challenges in the measurement of antibiotics and in evaluating their impacts in agroecosystems: A critical review. J. Environ. Qual. 45:407–419.doi:10.2134/jeq2015.07.0393
• Lenczewski, M. and N. Pohlman. 2016. Engaging Undergraduate Students in Hydrophilantrophy in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Water Resources Impact. 18(1):22-24
• Greenhagen, A., M. Lenczewski, and M. Carroll. 2014. Natural Attenuation of Pharmaceuticals and an Illicit Drug in Laboratory Column. Chemosphere 115:13-9. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.01.015. Epub 2014 Mar 1.
• Leal-Bautista, R., M. Lenczewski, A. Gahala. C. Morgan, and J. McLain. 2013 Assessing Microbial and Chemical Contamination in Groundwater From The Tulum Area, Cancun, Mexico. Journal of Environmental Protection. 1272-1279
• Carpenter, P., R. Adam, M. Lenczewski, and R. Leal-Bautista. 2013. Ground-Penetrating Radar, Resistivity and Spontaneous Potential Investigations of a Contaminated Aquifer Near Cancun, Mexico. Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impact of Karst. 231-237.
• Peterson, J., M. Lenczewski, and R. Scherer. 2010. Influence of Microbial Biofilms on the Preservation of Primary Soft Tissue in Fossil and Extant Archosaurs. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13334. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013334  

Teaching

• Introduction of Environmental Geology
• Geomicrobiology
• Contaminant Hydrogeology
• Organic Geochemistry
• Environmental Geochemistry
• Environmental Field Camp