Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evaluating Impacts Of Nanopesticides And Microplastics In An Agricultural Rhizosphere, Emma Nordlund, Manuel Montaño

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The goal of this project was to develop a methodology for assessing the behavior and effects of two emerging contaminants in an agricultural environment. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using corn as a model organism with Kocide-3000-O and polyester microfibers as treatments. Additional benchtop experiments were carried out to evaluate the bioavailability and other chemical properties of the microfibers and nanopesticide.

Assessing Impacts Of Rising Pco2 On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) Swimming Mechanics, Darby Finnegan

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Concern over the impacts of water acidification on fishes is growing due to their value commercially and ecologically. Although research has found that acidification negatively affects fish development, growth, and their ability to take up oxygen, little is known about how these effects translate to biomechanical changes in swimming behavior. We sought to determine whether freshwater acidification altered the performance and biomechanics of Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) swimming using a circulating swim tunnel. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to complete our experiment, but we will provide our preliminary results, as well as a description of the experimental …

Cownose Ray Movement And Behavior In The Intertidal Zone, Glenna Dyson-Roberts

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Environmental, temporal and life history factors are known to influence and cause variation in cownose ray Rhinoptera bonasus movements, but their use of the intertidal zone has not been fully studied. Cownose rays eat ribbed mussels, an obligate intertidal species; thus their intertidal visitation may be important. We investigated cownose ray movement, from fixed Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) at the Rutgers Cape Shore Laboratory mudflats, relative to water temperature, diel pattern, diurnal conditions, tidal phase, current speed, and heading. Behavioral Observation Research Interactive Software (BORIS) was used to digitally record cownose ray appearance in 170 randomly selected ten-minute sonar …

Current And Historical Estuary Extent In Major River Deltas Of The Puget Sound: A Comparison Of Estimates, Ashley Arthur

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Puget Sound estuaries and their associated tidal wetlands have experienced extensive loss and degradation since land use conversion and the construction of tidal barriers began in the 1850s with the arrival of Euro-American settlers. Efforts to restore tidal wetlands in the Puget Sound require knowledge of the historical and current extent of tidal wetlands, but tidal wetland loss estimates vary from 53% to slightly over 80%. Thus, this study compared estimates of the current and historical extent of tidal wetlands in the 16 major river deltas of the Puget Sound produced by Brophy et al. (2019), Ramirez (2019b), and Simenstad …

Original Environmental Education Lessons And Curriculum, Waverly Shreffler

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project is a culmination of my learning through Huxley and the Honors Program designed with the intent of exercising creativity, reflection, and resourcefulness to better myself as a future educator. I have designed a curriculum with five unique units and several coinciding lesson plans with ninth and tenth grade learners in mind. This work reflects my educational philosophy of bringing traditional curricular disciplines into relation through interdisciplinary teaching and multimodal learning. As an Environmental Education student, it has become my duty to acknowledge Place, Indigenous Knowledge, and social justice as integral to the future of education. I try to …

Call Of The Chorus Frog: An Undergraduate Experience In Field Research In The Elwha River Basin, Nicole Vandeputte

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In scientific disciplines, students are not often taught to write in a way that is easily understood by people outside of their field. It is my goal to learn to communicate scientific research to a broad audience in a way that is both understandable and interesting. In spring of 2019, I participated in Huxley’s environmental science field camp. We traveled to the Elwha River basin in Olympic National Park and conducted wildlife research projects of our own design. My group’s research assessed amphibian habitat in two areas of the park, one of which was recently exposed after the removal of …

European Green Crab Mitigation In Whatcom County, Patty Barry, Melissa Browning, Alexis Bryson,, Harrison Fuchs, Etilet Maipi

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This report presents a background on the invasive European green crab ( Carcinus maenas ), describes a variety of techniques to monitor and manage their presence in the region, and puts forth several comprehensive strategies for mitigating a potential invasion of C. maenas in the Salish Sea. C. maenas was likely initially introduced to the Pacific coast of the United States as larvae carried in ballast water, though they are also spread as larval by currents and as hitchhikers in seafood transport. C. maenas tolerates a wide range of salinities, temperatures, and habitats, they prey on virtually any available species, …

An Investigation Into Morocco's Water Crisis, Elliese Wright

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my honors senior project, I will attempt to answer the following questions: 1) What are some of the primary causes of water shortages in rural Morocco (primarily focusing on the south eastern area of Morocco). 2)What are the ways governments and NGO’s are trying to fix the problem? 3) How are rural communities affected by water shortages?

To answer this question, I am going to use a combination of field work, such as visiting, observing, and talking to people in the rural villages when possible, contacting people who are currently working on NGO projects or people who have already …