EnviroNews
News
from the Department of Integrated Environmental
Welcome to the EnviroNews website of Bethune-Cookman University! This site will give you, the reader, a look into the activities and accomplishments of the Department of Integrated Environmental Science, its faculty, and its students. I hope that you will check in from time to time to see what we have going on here at BCU. And if you find any of it interesting, I hope that you will take part in our activities and programs.
Thanks for stopping by, and Welcome to the Department of Integrated Environmental Science at BCU!
Michael A. Reiter
Director, IES
Spring, 2012
A Golfapalooza of a Good Time
On Friday May 4th, a
significant portion of the department participated in the 1st Annual
IES End-of-Term Miniature Golf Tournament, held at the terror-inducing Pirate’s
Island Adventure Golf course in Daytona Beach Shores. Foursomes kicked off at
5PM and played straight through 18 mind-bending holes before adjourning for a
hearty banquet afterwards. Taking top honors via tiebreaker and the wondrous
top prize of a presentation remote was Niraj Ray, putting in an impressive
1-under 39 for the evening, pushed closely by departmental ringer Marie
Bergelin, also at 1-under 39. Marie took a foursome prize of a flash drive, as
did Andrew Kamerosky who turned in a 3-over 43. Hole-in-one prizes (gift cards
to Krispy Kreme: what else?) went to Sierra Taliafero,
Cary Bleasdale, Marie, and Niraj. Both Drs. Michael and Kimberly Reiter also
scored holes-in-one, for which Kimberly received a free game. Dr. Michael
Reiter, however, was disqualified from the hole-in-one competition and foursome
prizes for having a corked putter. Better luck to all next year!
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The “Terror Foursome”, (l to
r) Marie Bergelin, Cary Bleasdale, Lauren Kiser, and Niraj Ray, set off on the
course. (The foursome was named thusly for more than one reason.) |
Dr. Michael Humphreys
observes the trajectory of his golf ball while Ayush Jangam looks on to get
some pointers. |
The “Terror Foursome”
navigating some unexpected hazards. |
Golf pro pro-tempore Andrew
Kamerosky (l) assists Sierra Taliafero with her
play out of the rough. (Actually, he may have been doing more gloating than
assisting, since she was in his foursome.) |
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Marie Bergelin and Cary Bleasdale
take a moment from the rigors of the back nine to model for any talent agents
who might be passing by. |
Lauren Kiser gets some tips
from the department’s resident ringer (Marie Bergelin is a member of the
women’s golf team, one of two in the department). Since they were in the same
foursome, there’s no guarantee the suggestions were good ones…. |
If you are wondering why
almost everyone is laughing, ask Dr. Humphreys what happened to his golf ball
near the end of the tournament. (Hint: if there had been a distance prize, he
would have won it.) |
After a cut-throat (pun
intended) tournament, it was off to nearby Genovese’s
for a formal banquet (well, formal for us) where we celebrated tournament
accomplishments, shared some departmental camaraderie, and heckled Dr.
Humphreys mercilessly. |
Ayush on the Road
Ayush Jangam, an IES undergraduate
student, will be checking out the other side of the continent this summer as an
REU fellow in Biogeochemistry and Climate Change at the University of
California, Irvine. He will be working with Dr. Michael Prather on “Global
Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry - Model Simulations for the IPCC 2012
Assessment”. Should be an interesting summer project,
and we look forward to his presentation on his work next Fall. Good luck,
Ayush!
Andrew’s Latest
Were you aware that IES grad student
Andrew Kamerosky helped organize an Earth Day Festival at The Chiles Academy
and Bonner Center Community Garden? If not, you can read the article in the
Daytona Beach News Journal here,
or if it has been taken down you can download a pdf
of it here.
It’s Official: The B. J. Moore Center for Integrated Environmental
Science, Rio Style!
Dr. Reiter has received official
word and a Letter of Invitation to attend the “World Symposium on Sustainable
Development at Universities” (WSSDU‐2012) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to present
his work with the Roundtable on Environmental Systems and Sustainability. The
paper he and his colleagues submitted, “Making Education for Sustainability
Work on Campus: The Proposals of the Roundtable on Environmental Systems and
Sustainability”, will also be published in either a special issue of the
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (IJSHE) or an
internationally distributed special book for the symposium titled “Sustainable
Development at Universities: New Horizons”. WSSDU 2012 is a parallel event to
the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD 2012), and invitations have
been sent to only a highly select set of speakers and participants.
Congratulations Dr. Reiter!
Messin’ with Texas
The B. J. Moore Center for
Integrated Environmental Science will be messin’ with
Texas over the coming year in a series of workshops dealing with the
integration of environmental ethics and environmental justice into planning for
complex environmental issues. The first workshop will be held at the University
of Texas, El Paso on April 28th, the second at the University of
North Texas in September and the third at Bethune-Cookman
University in December. These workshops seek to bring together people from a
wide set of perspectives on ecosystem management, health, and justice to
address specific issues near the host location as templates for a broader
discussion of the interaction of these perspectives on a larger scale. If you
are interested, you might want to participate in one or more of the workshops. Regarding
the deadline in the announcement below, Shane will also accept inquiries for
the UNT workshop in September. The BCU inquiry deadline will be set at a later
date.
University of North Texas - Department of Philosophy and Religion
Studies
University of Texas at El Paso -
The Center for Science, Technology, Ethics, and Policy, Bethune-Cookman University – B. J. Moore Center for Integrated
Environmental Science, and the Interdisciplinary Environmental Association
-present-
The Interdisciplinary Aspects of Public Health and Environmental
Justice
- A Workshop Series -
Environmental justice (EJ) encompasses
several issues ranging from housing regulations to the distribution of natural
resources, many of which have been addressed by researchers in environmental
health science and other disciplines, yet there has not been a significant
interdisciplinary or philosophical discussion zeroing in on the public health
dimension of complex environmental problems such as climate change as they
relate to environmental justice. These
groundbreaking workshops bring together scholars, researchers, and public
officials aiming to find common ground for conversation with these closely
related themes. Those involved will examine the public-health aspects of
environmental justice and set the tone for future conversations on the subject.
The scope is sharp yet the range is extensive: some areas of focus include
climate change, desertification, global poverty, sea-level rise, resource management,
and globalization. A few of the questions we will ask include: what are the new
challenges for public health and EJ concerning topics such as climate change,
desertification, and sea-level rise? What are the most effective and ethical
avenues for dealing with these new challenges? Is EJ
considered a social priority for estimations of public health? How can
we amend scientific and public policy to handle the problems associated with
climate change? How does one ease the tensions between public priorities and
ecosystem functionality? At the end of this workshop, we will draw on the
interdisciplinary resources from participants to examine a specific case study
in the Paseo Del Norte region to find a just
solution. The first session is on April 28, 2012 at the University of Texas at
El Paso. The University of North Texas hosts the second workshop in Denton, TX
during September of 2012. The final workshop takes place during December of
2012 at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach,
FL. Those wishing to participate in the El Paso workshop should send inquiries
and abstracts of 100 – 150 words, prepared for blind review, to Shane Epting at
shane.epting@unt.edu by April 6, 2012.
Getting Familiar with IRL
It’s nice to get out of the
classroom every once and a while; even better when it’s for a good cause. Dr.
J. Cho and MSIES student Andrew Kamerosky are working with local officials to
map sea grass beds and phytoplankton chlorophyll concentrations, a way to track
algal blooms. Using satellite data, they hope to monitor and measure the
movement of chlorophyll across the lagoon. If the article is still there, you
can read a bit about the project here
and here
too.
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Heading out to some
measurement sites. |
Andrew measures light
absorption in the Indian River Lagoon. |
Bringing Back a Shoreline
Dr. Cho and BCU students recently
participated in a Halifax River living shoreline restoration project lead by
Paul Haydt of the St. Johns River Water Management District. The idea is to
re-establish the living organisms that would normally exist along the river’s
edge to improve water quality, nursery habitat, and shoreline protection.
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Volunteers place shell bags
and anchor rings out to act as substrate and wave baffles in front of the
hardened shoreline. They also help protect the newly planted shore grasses. |
Paul Haydt of SJRWMD looks
over a newly assembled segment. |
Planting grasses to provide
habitat and stabilize the sediment along the edge. See, an artificially
constructed shoreline can have a living edge! |
Good News from Boardman
At its March meeting, the Boardman
Foundation approved a $5,000 grant to IES for a graduate student to work with
Paul Haydt of the St. Johns River Water Management District on Phase II of the
Halifax River Living Shoreline Project. The student will perform some GIS
mapping of existing and potential restoration locations, and will participate
in meetings with officials from local communities to discuss the benefits of
participating in the living shoreline program. This is just one small step in a
growing cooperative relationship between the SJRWMD and BCU IES, and we look
forward to its expansion over the coming years.
FURC Recruiting
Dr. Reiter and MSIES graduate
students Andrew Kamerosky and Rashan Moss attended the Florida Undergraduate
Research Conference being held at Stetson University to sit on panels and give
presentations. However, an interesting twist to our work was the interest of
students in the MSIES program, meaning that we spent a notable amount of time
discussing the graduate program for interested students. And as usual, the best
representatives are our students themselves.
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MSIES graduate student
Rashan Moss (left, sporting the colors!) discusses the MSIES program with two
interested undergraduate students at the FURC conference in March. |
It’s Good to Get Out Every Now and Then
The students of the Coastal Systems
course got a chance to stretch their legs and their minds on a field trip to
Ponce Inlet to experience firsthand the estuarine and sand dune ecosystems that
they studied in class. They spent their
time seining for fish, collecting invertebrates and drifting algae, observing
plankton, measuring water quality, and learning about sand dune plants. A bit
more wet than the classroom, perhaps, but well worth it.
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Two students seining for
critters. From the looks of it, I’d say they didn’t catch any whales. |
Students checking out their
collection results. |
BCU at the IRLS
IES was represented at the Indian
River Lagoon Symposium “The Indian River Lagoon – Looking Forward” Feb. 9th
at the Harbor Branch Institute in Fort Pierce FL. At the symposium, grad
student Andrew Kamerosky and undergrad student (and, we understand, soon-to-be
grad student) Joseph White gave a presentation titled “Use of Hyperspectral
Data for Improved Mapping of Water Column Chlorophyll and Seagrass Beds”. This
ongoing work is being completed under the supervision of Dr. Hyun Jung Cho, a
relatively new faculty member to IES. Word is that their presentation was well
received. Good job, Andrew and Joe!
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Andrew Kamerosky takes the
floor to discuss his hyperspectral data work. |
Joe White takes his turn.
(Note how Andrew makes sure that no surprise attack is launched from the top
of the screen.) |
It’s Official!
IES Director Dr. Michael Reiter has
received word from the Board of Trustees, by way of the Dean, that IES has been
given the go-ahead to form a Center of Excellence in Integrated Environmental
Science at BCU! This will allow IES to begin to expand its research and
outreach capacities and play a greater role in the university’s future
development. Dr. Reiter is excited about the opportunity and is appreciative of
the faith shown in his program by the university’s Board, and said that the
department will convene soon to determine how to begin structuring this new
effort. No doubt there will be more news on this topic to come.
IES Welcomes Dr. Matlock
One exciting new development in the
Department of Integrated Environmental Science this semester is the arrival of
Dr. Gary Matlock as a new adjunct faculty member. Dr. Matlock is the current
Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation at NOAA headquarters
in Silver Spring, MD, and brings extensive experience in resource management
and policy evaluation to the IES program. He will be visiting BCU weekly from
Silver Spring to teach ES430/530, Environmental Policy and Risk Management, a
joint undergraduate and graduate “slash course” in the IES curriculum. BCU is
very pleased to have Dr. Matlock on campus, and looks forward to his
contribution to our program and our students.
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Dr. Matlock (right, facing)
teaching his first class at BCU as a faculty member in IES. |
Andrew Strikes Again
Andrew Kamerosky, a graduate student
in the MSIES program, recently obtained a $1,000 grant from the Local Community
Contribution/Hunger Outreach program of The Walmart
Foundation to support work in the community gardening project he is helping to
organize. Congratulations, Andrew, on your success both in funding and in IES
community outreach.
BCU at the IRL Symposium
Dr. Hyun Jung Cho, graduate student
Andrew Kamerosky, and undergraduate student Joe White will represent BCU IES at
the “Indian River Lagoon - Looking Forward” symposium on February 9th.
The symposium is the result of a multi-institutional, multi-agency effort to
provide a forum for current scientific research on the IRL and its management.
In case you are curious about their presentation topic:
Use of Hyperspectral Data for
Improved Mapping of Water Column Chlorophyll and Seagrass beds
Andrew Kamerosky, Joseph White, and Hyun Jung Cho
Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL
Remote sensing of submerged plants or phytoplankton is often limited due
to the water absorption of Near InfraRed (NIR) and
the light scattering from suspended particles. Field and controlled spectral
measurements were made over seagrass beds and algal
water in order to understand the unique spectral signatures of the algae and seagrass. The spectral features of algal waters include: a
maximum green reflectivity between 575-590 nm; a minor inflection at 650 nm
probably caused by accessory pigment backscattering; a red absorption near 676
nm; prominent NIR reflectivity at approximately 697 nm; and a minor NIR
reflectance peak at 805nm probably caused by organic substance backscattering.
The controlled spectral reflectance positively correlated with turbidity. This
information will be used to develop a spectral algorithm for an improved
mapping of water column Chlorophyll distribution and benthic vegetation of
Indian River Lagoon using airborne hyperspectral
data.
IES Undergrad Receives Mentoring Award
IES undergraduate Sierra Taliafero has received an undergraduate mentoring award
from the Society of Wetland Scientists. The award provides travel expenses
(including transportation, hotel room, meals, and conference fees) for the 2012
SWS Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida June 2-9, a mentor to provide guidance
and career advice, special activities to introduce participants to postgraduate
and career opportunities and to meet professionals from diverse fields, and the
opportunity to present a research poster. This program is part of an
NSF-sponsored effort to aid motivated students considering environmental
careers. Congratulations, Sierra, and good luck!
Fall, 2011
‘Tis the Season to Make Pizza…
The 5th Annual IES
Christmas Pizza Party has come and gone, and a good time was had by all. For
those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is held as a study break
before final exams and in honor of Dr. Reiter’s maternal grandmother and the
upcoming holiday. The event is highlighted by Dr. Reiter’s authentic home-made
deep-dish Sicilian pizza, made from a recipe taught to him by his grandmother
and central to their old family reunions held on Christmas Eve. Dr. Reiter and
his wife invite friends and colleagues from both BCU and Stetson University
(where his wife works), so it is also an opportunity to meet other university people
from the area. If you missed this year’s party, there’s always next year!
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The headliners waiting their
turn for the stage. Dr. Reiter got off easy this year: he only had to prepare
and bake ten of them (one is already in the oven). It still takes all day,
though, whether it is one or ten. |
The finished product. There
is a fifteen minute cycle from in the oven until cut for eating, and you can
bet that this one will be gone by the time the next one is ready! |
The first one barely made
the table before it was attacked. |
Some IES students enjoying
the fare and the evening. |
Some Quality Time in the Field
Some of our graduate students spent some
time out in the field with Dr. Cho and local colleagues collecting data for
various projects and learning to operate some of the new field equipment
available to the IES program. The trips were not only for shaking out the new
equipment, but are in preparation for some ongoing and new project work in IES.
It’s also a great way to get out of the office and classroom for a while!
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Dr. Cho (l), colleagues and
students head out onto the Indian River Lagoon. |
MS. Student Rashan Moss collects
data on the Indian River Lagoon. |
Undergraduate and graduate
students collect reflectance data at Tamoka State
Park while learning the operation of a field spectrometer. |
Andrew Gets the Word Out
IES graduate student Andrew
Kamerosky recently spent some time around Halloween raising awareness of the
scale of the use of plastic bags. You can read a bit about his costume,
“Plastic Bag Monster” at http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=86353.
A Visitor Comes to IES
On Friday Nov. 4 at 12 noon in the
B. J. Moore Center, Shane Epting from the University of North Texas will be
giving a seminar, followed by some time to meet with faculty and students.
Shane is a Teaching Fellow and Ph.D. student in Philosophy at the University of
North Texas, where he focuses on environmental justice, sustainability, and
industrial ecology. He has published and presented on topics in environmental
ethics and technology, sustainability, ocean ethics, and environmental justice
and policy. The seminar is open to the public, and I hope that you will be able
to join us for this opportunity. His seminar title and topic:
Environmental Justice and Leadership for the 21st
Century: Politics, Education, and Ethics
Shane Epting, University of
North Texas
Living in a world of globalized
techno-consumerism poses unprecedented challenges for policymakers and leaders.
The environmental stakes are high, requiring concerted efforts from politics,
education, and ethics. Sustainability, as an aim and a technique, sets the pace
within the academy, but can it hold steady? In this seminar, I will discuss how
new challenges brought forth by global commerce will force tomorrow’s leaders
to employ new methods to deal with these problems.
IES Presence at the 2011 CERF Conference
The Coastal and Estuarine Research
Federation’s 2011 conference is being held at the Daytona Beach FL conference
center Nov. 6-10, and BCU IES will definitely have a presence. Upon arrival,
look for the IES grad students offering their services as conference workers.
Dr. Reiter will co-chair (with Dr. Geoff Scoot, Director of the NCCOS Center
for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular
Research at Charleston SC) and give a paper in session SCI-039, “Integrated
Assessments of Valued Components and Services in Estuarine Ecosystems”, Tuesday
afternoon from 1:30-3PM. But no rest for the wicked: he will then sit on a
three-member conference synthesis panel 3:30-5PM Tuesday titled “Integrated
Ecosystem Assessment: the Present State-of-the-Art”, where he will be
responsible for Topic 1 (“IEA defined – What is integrated ecosystem assessment
and how is it being used in coastal and estuarine ecosystems?”). There is a
related blog post that provides a departure point and expanded introduction to
the types of topics covered in the synthesis session at http://cerf2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/synthesis-topic-1-integrated-ecosystem.html,
though much of it can be applied to the earlier session as well. If you will be
at the conference, drop by these sessions and see what we have going on.
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The Tuesday conference-wide
Synthesis Panel on Integrated Ecosystem Assessment at CERF 2011. Nice crowd. |
Dr. Reiter, a member of the
synthesis panel, addresses the conference session. |
IES MS student Andrew
Kamerosky (l) and IES faculty member Dr. J. Cho (r) taking a break during a
poster session at CERF 2011. |
Another New Face
The department is growing, as
attested to by the arrival of Dr. Hyun Jung (“J.”) Cho.
Dr. Cho, who comes to us from Jackson State University, is a specialist in
remote sensing as applied to coastal ecology and habitats. She also brings
research and funding experience with NOAA, Sea Grant, NASA, NGA (National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency), Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and state marine
resource departments. You can find her office in the B. J. Moore Center for
IES, Room C: why not stop in and say hello?
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Dr. J. Cho, trying out the
fit of her new office chair. She seems to like it! |
BCU in Rio?
If you are a follower of EnviroNews, you might
recall that Dr. Reiter was involved in the UNESCO World Sustainable Development
Teach-In Day last December, where his presentation on the work of the
Roundtable on Environmental Systems and Sustainability (for which he serves as
Co-Chair) involving pedagogical and administrative proposals regarding
interdisciplinary and higher-order environmental education was distributed to
participants in over 50 countries. Well, it appears that this work has
attracted some attention, because an invitation from Germany has lead to
submission and acceptance of an abstract for presentation this coming June at
the World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities, a parallel
event to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)! Dr. Reiter and
his colleagues will be preparing a manuscript for publication internationally
next year, and he is invited to present the Roundtable work (using his program
design as one example) at the conference, possibly as a workshop. Quite an
achievement: now all he has to do is get there….
The abstract and some of his
colleagues:
Making Education for
Sustainability Work on Campus: The Proposals of the Roundtable on Environmental
Systems and Sustainability
Michael A. Reiter (Co-Chair), Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, FL 32724
Will J. Focht (Co-Chair), Oklahoma State
University, Stillwater, OK 74078
Susan Gill, Stroud Water Research Center,
Avondale, PA 19311
Paul A. Barresi, Southern New Hampshire
University, Manchester, NH 03106
Richard C. Smardon, SUNY College of
Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210
Susan L. Baker, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD
20910
Kimberly D. Reiter, Stetson University, DeLand, FL 32723
Sue Bumpous, North American Association for Environmental
Education, Washington DC
Sustainability education is increasingly
popular, but approaches vary so widely that it is hard to compare the core
competencies or pedagogy of sustainability-focused programs. The Roundtable on
Environmental Systems and Sustainability (RT) consists of faculty,
practitioners, and administrators in environmental higher education
who are trying to address this weakness with a series of consensus-based
proposals for use in program development and as a potential template for
program recognition. The RT proposes “Environmental Systems and Sustainability”
as the relevant academic domain -- a supradisciplinary field focused on the
holistic, adaptive management of the health and resilience of the systems at
the human-nature interface necessary to support both stewardship of the natural
environment and long-term improvement in the human condition. The RT reached
consensus on 12 skills, 15 knowledge areas, and one experience as core
competencies that can be taught in any institutional context, and on complexity
as the most important pedagogical touchstone. Administratively, the RT proposes
that departmental or higher-level placement in the institutional structure
provides the best chance for program stability. RT proposals, which represent a
continuing discussion open to all interested individuals, are being used or
being considered for use in sustainability-focused programs at several
institutions.
The IES Graduate Students and HSAI are Growing!
The first
ever joint IES Graduate Program/HSAI (Hydroponic and Sustainable Agriculture
Initiative) plant sale took place last week, and a steady stream of people took
advantage of the offerings. The students had dozens of different plants in
starter containers, pots and fancier displays ready for growth or
transplanting, ranging from old standbys like tomatoes and peppers to exotic
and heirloom spices and vegetables. Don’t be surprised if this becomes a
relatively regular event.
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Folks were dropping by to
check out the greenery for sale. Many plants found a new home last week. |
Visitors could also check out
the hydroponic and other demonstration systems at the Center. |
New Faces
Next time
you are at the B. J. Moore Center, stop in and say hello to two of our newest
members. Ms. Charline Gooden has been liberated from the Science building to
man the reception desk at the Center, while Dr. Charles Kidd has joined the
faculty in IES. Ms. Gooden is the new Keeper of the Keys at the Center, while
Dr. Kidd will take over the duties of Undergraduate Chair in IES so to allow
Dr. Reiter to focus on duties as Director and Graduate Chair. Dr. Kidd is a
native of Washington DC and graduated from Case Institute of Technology in
Civil Engineering. He holds a Masters in Sanitary and Industrial Hygiene
Engineering, Radiological Health and a PhD in Environmental Health from the
University of Michigan. He has held several faculty and administrative
positions in his career, including Dean of the college that became CESTA at
Florida A&M University (where he created and secured initial funding for
The Environmental Sciences Institute and the FAMU Center for Environmental
Technology Transfer) and President of York College, a senior unit in The City
University of New York.
Welcome
to both of you!
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Ms. Gooden at the reception
desk, showing her best pageant contestant smile! |
Dr. Kidd in his office,
trying his best to do the same. |
Summer, 2011
Adaptive Filtering
Dr. Reiter and two colleagues from
Delaware State University were recently published in the book Adaptive
Filtering Applications. Their work, Adaptive Filters for Processing Water Level
Data, discusses the development of a filtering protocol to minimize or remove
the influence of upstream non-tidal data on downstream tidal data for use in
the study of sea level rise. The book chapter reference is:
Reljin, N, D. Pokrajac and M. Reiter. 2011.
Adaptive Filters for Processing Water Level Data. In: L. Garcia, ed., Adaptive
Filtering Applications, InTech Publishers, Croatia.
ISBN: 978-953-307-306-4.
It is available online at http://www.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/adaptive-filters-for-processing-water-level-data.
All Wet, but for a Good Cause
Dr. Reiter and several IES graduate
students spent a morning with Dr. Aaron Mills of the Department of
Environmental Science at the University of Virginia and several members of the
central Florida chapter of the Cambrian Foundation performing a cave water
analysis at DeLeon Springs in western Volusia County.
Professional cave divers collected water from the source caves of the spring,
and other members plus our students and students from several other
universities performed chemical and bacterial analyses. The work seeks to
determine the nutrient loading to the spring from groundwater, and whether the
surface bacteria in the underwater caves is using seepage through the cave
walls to survive. It was a very interesting morning, and our students were able
to interact with both local and national experts. Dr. Reiter also got to catch
up with an old member of his dissertation committee at UVa!
Not a bad day.
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The cave divers about to leave for their sampling
run. |
Rashan Moss (l) and Niraj Ray (r), BCU IES graduate
students, work with Dr. Aaron Mills of the University of Virginia preparing
bacterial samples for analysis. Nothing like classic back-of-the-truck field
work! |
Andrew Kamerosky (c) performing chemical analyses
with members of the study’s chemical analysis team. |
No Rest for the Weary
Dr. Reiter and his grad students
were off to Texas and to Mississippi to run conceptual modeling workshops for
the ECSC. First it was Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve,
where the team worked with local stakeholders to build the matrices necessary
for completing a Combined Ecological-Societal Systems Model for use by the site
in addressing resource management questions. Then it was to Grand Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve to do the same thing there. Once the matrices are
complete, Dr. Reiter will be able to assemble the CESSMs for the two sites.
This information will also be used by the students in the completion of their
theses.
Spring, 2011
“Goodbye”, or “Until We Meet
Again”?
Dr. Mamdouh Nasr of Ain Shams University, the Fulbright Visiting Professor who
has spent the 2010-2011 academic year as a resident faculty member in IES,
prepares to depart from BCU on May 14th. Dr. Nasr taught several
graduate and undergraduate economics courses both in IES and in the School of
Business, interacted with graduate and undergraduate students on campus, worked
on research projects and proposals with IES faculty, and provided a fascinating
perspective on the amazing recent events in the Middle East.
However, it may not be “goodbye BCU”
for Dr. Nasr. First, a joint research and service project involving water
resources and agricultural entrepreneurship in Kenya is in development between
the two programs, plus Ain Shams University and BCU
have both given permission for Dr. Nasr to return in August for one more year!
If he can receive a visa for that period, Dr. Nasr may be back in the Fall to
teach further classes and begin work on proposals related to the joint work in
Kenya. Keep your fingers crossed! In any event, BCU wishes them both safe
travels home and thanks for their contribution to IES.
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In a photo using a terrible camera (blame Dr. Reiter
for leaving his good camera at home), Dr. Herbert Thompson (right), Dean of
the School of Science Engineering, and Mathematics at BCU, presents Dr. Nasr
with a plaque thanking him for his service to the school and the university
during a farewell luncheon for Dr. Nasr and his wife Ulla (left). |
Travels with Sierra
IES major Sierra Taliaferro has
received the opportunity to study abroad from June 25th-July 19th
with the Travel & Education program. She will be studying abroad at the
University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain while staying with a host family.
The program involves academic work as well as interaction with the people, the
culture, and the environment. She hopes to strengthen her Spanish speaking
ability while there, and learn about Spain, the culture, and the people. From IES:
good luck, have fun, learn a lot; and we can’t wait for the slide show.
That’s One
IES is only a little more than a
year old, but it already has its first faculty achievement award. Dr. Michael
Reiter received the BCU Excellence in Research award for 2010-2011. During the
presentation, his world-wide research projects and presentations, both in his
research field and in interdisciplinary pedagogy, were cited, along with the
ties recently forged with other universities. Congratulations from IES!
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Dr. Reiter (middle) with Dean Thompson of SSEM and
President Dr. Truddie Reed at the awards ceremony. |
Dr. Geoff Scott to Visit Campus
Dr. Geoff Scott, Director of the
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Center for Coastal Environmental
Health and Biomolecular Research at Charleston SC,
will be coming to BCU on Friday, April 15th to give a seminar and
meet with students. Dr. Scott acts as the NOAA contact for the Integrated
Assessment thematic area of the Environmental Cooperative Science Center, for
which Dr. Reiter serves as the Lead PI. His seminar will be held at 1PM on
Friday April 15th in the B J Moore Center for Integrated
Environmental Science. The seminar is open to the campus community and the
public.
Climate Change and Coastal Development: A Recipe for Disaster for
Coastal Ecosystem Health
Geoffrey I. Scott
Director, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular
Research
Increased coastal population is a problem
globally, as more than 55% of the world’s population lives within 50 miles of
the coast, 33 of the 50 largest cities in the world are located in coastal
areas, and more than 80% of world commerce is transported by ships. The
compression of >50% of the population into the coastal zone, which
represents only 8% of the Earth’s surface, creates a dilemma for environmental
managers, who are faced with the daunting task of trying to maintain
environmental quality in the wake of unbridled urbanization, population growth,
and climate change. Climate change may cause numerous effects on coastal
ecosystems including increased sea level rise and climate alterations in
temperature, salinity and precipitation as well as shoreline erosion and ocean
acidification. When climate change is viewed in the face of the accompanying
unprecedented global coastal development, the result may be even greater
impacts on environmental quality and human health, including altered hydrology
and resulting increased non-point source pollution, toxic chemicals, and
microbial contaminants that may degrade water and sediment quality and
adversely affect resource health as well as affect seafood safety for harvested
fishery products. Results from several studies assessing coastal development
impacts will be presented in light of the additive effects of global climate
change including enhanced impacts on ecosystem health (e.g. enhanced occurrence
of multiple antibiotic resistance pathogens and increased mobilization of
legacy chemicals from global ice flows) and public health (sea food safety and
contact recreation concerns). In addition, the effect of increased chemical
contaminant exposure on the thermal tolerances of marine organisms will also be
discussed, as a body of evidence is emerging that chemical contaminants may
lower the upper thermal tolerances of many marine species while increased
salinity accompanying sea level rise may enhance the toxicity of many existing
pollutants.
Dr. Robert Carlson Comes to Campus to "Baptize" the Center
Dr. Robert E. Carlson, Emeritus Professor at Kent State University, Kent,
Ohio, visited the BCU campus on Friday March 18th to meet with students and
give the inaugural seminar for the B. J. Moore Center for Integrated
Environmental Science. Dr. Carlson received his undergraduate education in
Biology at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota, then a MS degree in
Entomology and a PhD in Ecology at the University of Minnesota. He also held a
research/teaching postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University, Canada. Dr.
Carlson’s research involves the evaluation and classification of lakes and
reservoirs. He is the author of the Trophic State Index that is used for the
classification of lakes and reservoirs, has coauthored a manual on techniques for
volunteer lake monitoring, and has coauthored a manual for the management of
drinking water reservoirs. He has also co-authored the EPA guidance document on
lake bioassessment and the EPA Nutrient Criteria Manual for Lakes. He developed
and still coordinates the Secchi Dip-In, an all-volunteer international water
quality monitoring network. Its goal is to demonstrate that volunteers can
collect environmentally-important and scientifically relevant water quality
information over large spatial and temporal scales. The following was the
abstract for the presentation:
The Role of the Public in the Assessment of Water Quality: The Secchi Dip-In Experience
Robert E. Carlson, PhD
Kent State University
The
Secchi Dip-In is a volunteer monitoring program, initiated in 1994 because of
the lack of a national assessment of water quality at that time. Volunteers
sampling water bodies throughout North America have since provided an annual
picture of some water quality variables, accumulating over 40,000 records on more
than 7,000 water bodies. The data have been used primarily to illustrate the
distribution of transparency across North America and to detect temporal trends
in transparency. Waters in the glaciated regions of North America are generally
clearer than those in more southern regions. But surprisingly, changes in
transparency have a similar distribution, with relatively fewer lakes
exhibiting change, both positive and negative, in the unglaciated regions of
North America. The volunteers who participate in the Secchi Dip-In are also
asked questions about their perception as to status and trends in their water
body. The Dip-In assesses what the volunteer sees as change and what water
quality means to them. Volunteer responses suggest a distinct regional perception
of water quality, again reflecting the glaciated and unglaciated regions of
North America.
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Dr. Carlson (standing) points out an interesting
aspect of his data, the disconnect between typical scientific measures of
"water quality" and public perception of "water quality",
during the inaugural B. J. Moore Center seminar. |
Andrew Starts Off on the Right Foot
The National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Campus Ecology Program has selected MSIES student Andrew Kamerosky as a 2011 National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Fellow. Andrew receives a grant of $1000.00 to support his demonstration project, tied to his thesis work, on ways to slow global warming on the BCU campus and surrounding community. He will also be participating in the NWF’s inaugural Young Leaders’ Assembly, which will take place as part of the NWF's 75th Annual Meeting to be held in Washington, DC, April 13th – 15th, 2011. Congratulations Andrew; way to make us proud!
BCU Welcomes Dr. Harwell
On Friday Feb. 25, Dr. Mark Harwell will be visiting the BCU campus. Dr. Harwell, currently of Harwell, Gentile, and Associates LC, is a well-known figure in the development of integrated ecosystem assessments for coastal habitats. In the 1970’s and 80’s, he was one of the original developers of the VEC (Valued Ecosystem Component) methodology utilized by the EPA for addressing cleanup issues at Superfund sites, and has performed research associated with major restoration and resource management efforts including the Everglades, San Francisco Bay, and the ACF “Water Wars”. He will be giving a seminar at 1PM in the 1st Floor Nicholson Conference Room of the Science Building. The following seminar is open to any who wish to attend:
"Ecological Recovery from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Knowing When a Catastrophe Ends"
Mark A. Harwell, Ph.D.
Harwell, Gentile & Associates, LC
The
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was ecologically one of the worst single events in US
history, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dead seabirds, loss of sea
otters and other marine mammals, and causing adverse effects throughout the
Prince William Sound ecosystem from algae to top predators. The long-term
effects, however, were not so obvious, and debate has arisen as to if and when
the ecosystem has recovered. A summary of the ecological significance of
long-term effects will be presented, followed by quantitative ecological risk
assessments on sea otters and seaducks to evaluate their toxicological risks 20
years after the oil spill.
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Dr. Reiter (standing, left) and Dr. Harwell
(standing, right) during an ECSC flyover planning meeting. |
Foreshadowing
A preview of things to come....
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Welcome! |
In the new conference room, (L to R) Wenda Williams,
BCU Graduate Dean Dr. Sharon Piety-Nowell, and SSEM Dean Dr. Herbert Thompson
prepare for the first (unofficial, planning) meeting in the new Center. Dr.
Michael Reiter (IES Chair and Graduate Program Director) played the role of
Acting Photographer before joining in. |
A New Recruit
The IES graduate program welcomes Carole Locoh to BCU and Daytona Beach. Her
background is in architecture, and she is looking to work through the MSIES
program into the field of environmental planning. Carole comes to us from
Nigeria, and has been in our area only since November! Keeping in mind that December
2010 was the coldest December in Florida since 1935 (even while 2010 was tied
for the warmest year on record for the planet as a whole: a good example of the
difference between local weather and global climate), Carole has been shivering
a lot lately; which makes it all the more amazing that the picture we took
remained in focus! Good luck, Carole, and we look forward to your contribution
to our program.
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Carol agreed to stand outside of the Science
building long enough to have this picture taken. Total time outside: about 30
seconds. |
Mike on the Move
Dr. Humphries has had his presentation "Environmental Remediation through the employment of Transformative Leadership: emancipation for a more sustainable world" accepted for presentation at the Sustainability Remediation Conference at UMass Amherst June 1-3, 2011. We'll wait to see if he plans to take any of us along....
http://www4.cookman.edu/faculty/reiter/environews.htm
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