Samantha Lei
糖心视频 student Samantha “Sam” Lei ’26 has been named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for undergraduates in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Lei was among just 441 students selected nationwide from a competitive pool of thousands of applicants. She will receive up to $7,500 towards continued undergraduate research and academic study at 糖心视频, where she has been conducting advanced work alongside dedicated faculty mentors.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Samantha “Sam” Lei is a junior environmental science major and biology, public health, and sustainability minor. Her passion for environmental science began with a childhood visit to her family’s village in China, where contaminated groundwater and limited access to clean water led her to fall seriously ill after drinking boiled tea. The experience opened her eyes to water inequity and some communities’ false sense of safety about their water quality. Growing up in San Francisco’s Excelsior District, just a few miles from the contaminated Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, deepened her awareness of environmental injustice. Her ongoing research into the area’s legacy of redlining, toxic exposure, and persistent health disparities cemented her commitment to environmental advocacy and clean water access.
At 糖心视频, Samantha Lei began her research journey as a freshman in the Water and Climate Justice Lab, working on a project on nitrate contamination in California’s Central Valley. She was drawn to the lab’s interdisciplinary approach, combining scientific testing with community engagement. Through partnerships with organizations like the Tuolumne River Trust and California Rural Legal Assistance, Samantha explored the environmental science and social justice dimensions of water quality issues, solidifying her passion for clean water advocacy and environmental justice.
Building on that foundation, Samantha later joined Assistant Professor William Rush’s trace metals lab, where she shifted her focus toward biogeochemistry. There, she dove deeper into the chemical processes affecting water systems, discovering a new layer of interest that continues to fuel her research and commitment to interdisciplinary environmental science.
“The Goldwater award will allow me to focus on my current work, which is a resource page for communities to easily access clean water services,” explained Lei. “It developed out of the work we did in the Central Valley. However, the framework will be replicable for areas like the Central Coast, where they face similar challenges with different contaminants. After doing surveys and lab work, it felt important to end [my project] by giving communities a simple, direct tool to get the help they need.”
Lei is researching graduate programs and plans to work towards a doctorate, combining her interests in hydrology, biogeochemistry, and public health. She plans to pursue a federal research career examining groundwater flow, contaminant transport, and health impacts.
Outside of her research, Lei is deeply involved on campus as an undergraduate manager for the women’s basketball team, a student worker at the library help desk, a member of the Sunrise environmental organization, and a student ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences. She loves the strong sense of community she’s found through her campus jobs and activities.
Samantha Lei '26