Hartwick has a one month term during January called J Term. J Term gives students who may not otherwise have the opportunity the chance to study abroad. As much as I would like to travel somewhere abroad for the experience, I chose to study in Arizona this J Term. The class focuses on Sustainable Public Policy in Arizona. Even though I won't be going abroad, I will still get to experience different cultures and climates. The most interesting aspect of experiencing these difference is that they are still part of the country I live in. Other than a trip to Niagara Fall, Canada, and a trip to Puerto Rico, I have not left the East coast of the Continental U.S.
We fly to Phoenix on Saturday. While in Arizona, we will be learning through the lens of sustainability. Three key approaches to sustainability that we will use are water, immigration (cross boarder migration as Dr. Malone calls it), National Parks, and Native Americans. We had a mini prep class this week on campus. While completing the first reading assignment, which was about sustainability, I already started to get excited about this course. Prepping for this class has reminded me how much sustainability and environmental policy applies to me. I was able to link some of what we are learning in this class to the Environmental Politics and Policy course I took as well as Environmental Geology.
During our time in Arizona, we will travel from Phoenix to Jerome, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Camp Verde, and back to Scottsdale. We will hike much and meet many different experts. Our assignments for this trip include an outline for our presentation about a specific topic or issue in Arizona, a photo story presentation that represent the meaning a sustainability to us, and a reflective journal. I choice to present on "Contemporary Water Policy Issues and Concerns in the Grand Canyon." My partner, Sam, and I will decide how to approach sustainability in our photo story, but she mentioned focusing on water there as well. For our journals, we need to reflect upon what we learn each day and link it to sustainability and our readings. Some days, we will have free time to explore our interests on our own but Dr. Rinfret and Dr. Malone may give us a topic to think about while we are out and to reflect upon in our journals for the day.
I think this course will be very exciting, educational, and beneficial to all who are participating in it. I am waiting until next week to make my final decision for which EPA projects to interview. I choose three projects and will conduct phone interviews and eventually choose where I will be this summer. The environmental justice programs appeal most to me, but some of the projects with a research experiment component also appeal to me too. I think some experience with public policy in Arizona may influence my choice.
Happy New Year everyone! Look out for more posts about Arizona and sustainability soon.
Showing posts with label GRO Fellowship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GRO Fellowship. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2013
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Preliminary Fieldwork
Last Thursday, Dr. Z. and I conducted preliminary fieldwork for my Geochemistry study of the Ouleout Creek. We drove along the whole creek and made some initial observations. Dr. Z. also taught me how to use the multiprobe and how to collect water samples. We collected five samples total and collected data from the probe at four of the sites; the water velocity was too fast at one site to keep the probe safe and take an accurate reading. At each site we also recorded our geographic coordinates and elevation.
I really enjoyed going out into the field and collecting samples even though the weather was cold and rainy. We observed that the creek contains much reddish colored suspended sediment just above the Sydney reservoir and below it down to the mouth of the creek. We sampled in three locations above the reservoir; one sample came from the Ouleout Creek and two came from its main tributaries, the East Handsome and Treadwell Creek. The water was much clearer at these three sites. I will most likely research what could be causing the difference in sediment load and what effect the sediment load could be having on the water chemistry. We won't be going into the field again until the spring.
On Monday, I filtered my samples. I stored the filter paper in petri dishes. The filtered water from each site was separated into three smaller bottles. One bottle was simply refrigerated, one was frozen to preserve the anions, and the last was acidified and stored at room temperature to preserve the cations. The two samples taken below the reservoir took a very long time to filter. Other than the long wait for those samples, I really enjoyed filtering and preserving the samples, especially since the lab work was done independently for a personal research project. I was also proud of myself for realizing the first sample that took a while to filter was taking so much longer than the first two because it had much more sediment in it.
My next steps will be to start researching the geological background of the area. I will analyze my preliminary water samples after conducting some background research and constructing some hypotheses from that research. In the spring, I will develop a more complex sampling site map and hopefully start an investigation with a focused goal.
I really enjoyed going out into the field and collecting samples even though the weather was cold and rainy. We observed that the creek contains much reddish colored suspended sediment just above the Sydney reservoir and below it down to the mouth of the creek. We sampled in three locations above the reservoir; one sample came from the Ouleout Creek and two came from its main tributaries, the East Handsome and Treadwell Creek. The water was much clearer at these three sites. I will most likely research what could be causing the difference in sediment load and what effect the sediment load could be having on the water chemistry. We won't be going into the field again until the spring.
On Monday, I filtered my samples. I stored the filter paper in petri dishes. The filtered water from each site was separated into three smaller bottles. One bottle was simply refrigerated, one was frozen to preserve the anions, and the last was acidified and stored at room temperature to preserve the cations. The two samples taken below the reservoir took a very long time to filter. Other than the long wait for those samples, I really enjoyed filtering and preserving the samples, especially since the lab work was done independently for a personal research project. I was also proud of myself for realizing the first sample that took a while to filter was taking so much longer than the first two because it had much more sediment in it.
My next steps will be to start researching the geological background of the area. I will analyze my preliminary water samples after conducting some background research and constructing some hypotheses from that research. In the spring, I will develop a more complex sampling site map and hopefully start an investigation with a focused goal.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Daily Star Newspaper Story - Fellowship
Hartwick junior earns EPA fellowship
The local Oneonta Newspaper, the Daily Star posted a shortened version of the story of my fellowship today. This is very exciting! I will have to pick up a copy of the paper today so I can cut out the story and keep it. Again, I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity to work with the EPA!
The local Oneonta Newspaper, the Daily Star posted a shortened version of the story of my fellowship today. This is very exciting! I will have to pick up a copy of the paper today so I can cut out the story and keep it. Again, I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity to work with the EPA!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Hartwick-Hartwick Student Receives Prestigious EPA Fellowship
Hartwick-Hartwick Student Receives Prestigious EPA Fellowship
The above link will bring you to the page on the Hartwick website that contains a news piece about me. The news piece discusses the EPA GRO Fellowship I have been awarded, what it entails, and accomplishments I have so far. The Fellowship is awarded to a maximum of 40 college juniors nationwide each year, provides support for academics and research and requires the student to perform research for their junior and senior year and to complete a summer fellowship with an EPA facility.
My research will be based around the geochemistry of a small creek that is part of the Susquehanna River Shed. My advisor, Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad informed me yesterday that the U.S. Geological Survey has not done any studies in this creek so my research will be all original research! I am very excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity!
The above link will bring you to the page on the Hartwick website that contains a news piece about me. The news piece discusses the EPA GRO Fellowship I have been awarded, what it entails, and accomplishments I have so far. The Fellowship is awarded to a maximum of 40 college juniors nationwide each year, provides support for academics and research and requires the student to perform research for their junior and senior year and to complete a summer fellowship with an EPA facility.
My research will be based around the geochemistry of a small creek that is part of the Susquehanna River Shed. My advisor, Dr. Zsuzsanna Balogh-Brunstad informed me yesterday that the U.S. Geological Survey has not done any studies in this creek so my research will be all original research! I am very excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity!
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