If there is a common thread that runs through the many facets of Joseph A. Gardella's professional life, it's advocacy. A professor of chemistry at the University at Buffalo, Gardella advocates for the right of children to learn science, for the right of college students to have access to the best science education, for the right of disabled students to fulfill their highest potential, for the right of women and minority faculty members to experience advancement opportunities and for the rights of citizens to fully understand the environmental science that affects their neighborhoods and their health.