Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Sea Level Rise On Coastal South Carolina, Alyson Churchill

Atlas of Maine

This project aims to examine the effect of varying levels of sea level rise on the residents of South Carolina, particularly within the coastal communities, and provide rough estimations for the impact of sea level rise for use of classroom analysis. Regions along the coast continue to be popular destinations and living areas, despite the increasing prominence of rising sea levels, flooding events, and strong weather events triggered by climate change. This poses a great risk to those living near or on the coast, as almost 40% of the U.S.’s population live in densely populated areas near the coast despite …

Cellphone Towers And Service Coverage In Maine, Brian Levenson

Atlas of Maine

This map shows the distribution of cell phone towers across the state of Maine, as well the service areas that they serve. This map was created using an elevation map as a base map. On top of this map is a hillshade file that accentuates the perception of height in the mountains. On top of these layers are vector files showing the location of each cell phone tower in Maine, along with the corresponding service area. I found this map to be particularly interesting because it is able to show population density in an indirect way. Additionally, it highlights how …

Susceptibility Of United States Ski Resorts To The Effects Of Climate Change, Greyson M. Butler

Atlas of Maine

Across large regions of North America, warming global temperatures are expected to detrimentally reduce mountain snowpack accumulation and duration during the winter months. Mountain resorts are reliant on snowpack to generate a significant portion of their income through the ski industry. By 2100, experts have predicted that many alpine ski resorts could lose up to 70% of natural snow cover, leaving many resorts needing to turn to expensive, artificial snowmaking to supplement natural snowfall.

This study attempts to model the potential impact climate change will have on US ski resorts’ abilities to generate snowpack during the winter months in 2070 …

Atlas Of Maine: Risk Of Habitat Degradation, Dams, And Atlantic Salmon Habitat In Maine, Yue Yu

Atlas of Maine

This map shows the relationship between human impacts on waterbodies and salmon habitat locations in Maine. I used both a general assessment - the Stream Habitat Condition Index (HCI) conducted under the 2010 National Fish Habitat Action Plan - and dam locations to reflect human influences. The primary data sources are USGS GIS Data and Maine Office of GIS Data. The map is projected in the NAD 1983 UTM Zone19N coordinate system.

Atlas Of Maine: Overlap Of Atlantic Salmon Habitat And Dams In Maine, Katherine A. Donchik

Atlas of Maine

This map displays the relationship between Atlantic salmon habitat range and the location of dams in Maine. All data were gathered through the Maine Office of GIS. Data includes point data for the dams/impounds. Linear data are represented as the Atlantic Salmon Habitat and the rivers and streams. Hillshade and county outlines are also included on this map. The map is displayed using the UTM Zone 19N projections.

Proximity As A Driver For Local Seafood Consumption, Eric Walton

Atlas of Maine

Researched whether or not a farm to school program's proximity to large commercial ports affects their definition of local seafood. 214 farm to school programs and 128 US commercial ports are GIS mapped on the continental US, and two separate maps are created looking at Maine's and Alaska's farm to school programs and commercial ports. This poster was presented at the 2017 Colby Liberal Arts Symposium.

Distribution Of Native Tree Species Richness In Maine, Katherine A. Donchik, Tom Kiffney

Atlas of Maine

In this study we ask what parts of Maine have the highest number of different native tree species. Additionally, we investigate whether development is increasing in the areas with highest species richness. Shifts in population location can lead to more development, patch creation, and put strain on an ecosystem.

Forecasting Lava Flow: Analysis Of Potential Lava Flow Paths From Mauna Loa Volcano, Hi, Caroline Winslow, Julia Saul

Atlas of Maine

The island of Hawaii, located in the Hawaiian Island chain (Figure 2), is home to an active volcano, Mauna Loa, which has the potential of putting local populations at risk in the case of an eruption (Hawaii Center for Volcanology, 2015). In the last 150 years, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times and twice, the lava flows have covered land that is now a part of Hilo, the most populated census-designated place (USGS). In areas with high population densities, lava flows are dangerous and destructive. This project aims to forecast potential lava flows in the most populated census blocks so …

Spread Of The Invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Zoe C. Dickerson, Joanna L. Keel

Atlas of Maine

We created three maps using Arc GIS and projected them using the USA Contiguous Albers Equal Area Conic projected coordinate system. The first depicts the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid since its introduction to the United States. The second shows areas that are most at risk to future spread according to a model we created. The final map serves to test our model for predicting future spread.

Distribution And Accessibility Of Public Green Space In Waterville, Me, Yue Yu, Ruofei Jia

Atlas of Maine

This project shows the distribution and accessibility of public green space in the city of Waterville, ME. Green space is important in urban areas because it encourages interaction between residents and nature, builds social ties, enhances spatial network, provides public spaces for recreation, and benefits physical and mental health. The city of Waterville does not have accurate GIS data that shows a complete network of green spaces in the city. A 2004 National Land Cover Database classifies areas with vegetation. Waterville city zoning data classifies the land into functional zones. However, previous to our project, the land cover and zoning …

Atlas Of Maine: Colleges & Universities Of Maine, Greyson M. Butler

Atlas of Maine

This map depicts the location and enrollment of colleges and universities based in Maine. Locations and enrollments of schools are compared to the underlying population of the state of Maine. Counties and major highways are displayed for spatial reference. All data projected in NAD1983 UTM Zone 19N.

I Remember It Like This: Essays, Robin C. Lewis

Honors Theses

This thesis is composed of eleven personal essays. As an Environmental Policy senior, I wanted to write down some of my formative stories—not just any stories, but those that may reveal the environmental thread in my life, which, I believe, was somehow instilled in me by my parents. This thread has followed me from Texas to Maine, from childhood to almost twenty-three. It has been supported and tested by various characters along the way, sometimes growing faint, other times stronger. As I prepare for something new, I’ve found it valuable to look back on the people and landscapes and stories …

A Novel Method For Determination Of Ammonium Isotope Ratios With Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry, Rebecca J. Chmiel

Honors Theses

Nitrogen (¹⁵N) isotope tracer studies are an invaluable tool for understanding the rate of N transformations in the environment. A mechanistic understanding of N cycling is critical to management of excess N availability in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Conventional methods for measuring ¹⁵N:¹⁴N of dissolved inorganic nitrogen species are time consuming and require large sample volumes. Here, we present a technique for measuring ¹⁵N:¹⁴N in ammonium (NH₄⁺) using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). NH₄⁺ present in small volumes of sample (3 ml) is complexed with phenol via …

Crops And Controversy: Industry’S Role In The Gmo Debate, Carina Wallack

Honors Theses

The use of genetically modified crops (also called GM crops, genetically modified organisms, or GMOs for short) has become a highly contested issue. New genetic modification technologies offer a variety of advantages for improving agricultural efficiency. However, some scientists argue that the safety testing conducted thus far does not provide enough information and worry about possible health and ecological risks. Private industry sponsors a great deal of research on genetically modified crops. As the international controversy regarding the use of GMOs has unfolded, the very companies responsible for commercializing genetically modified crops have gained substantial influence in the resulting scientific …

America's National Parks And The Anthropocene: Addressing The Present To Accommodate The Future In Acadia National Park, Sophie A. Swetz

Honors Theses

In 2000, atmospheric chemist, Paul J. Crutzen, and limnologist, Eugene Stoermer, formally proposed the idea of “the Anthropocene,” a new geologic epoch in which humans are the dominant force shaping the Earth. To claim the Anthropocene's existence is to declare that human actions have altered the Earth in such a way that geologic indicators render it a distinct epoch in the stratification of geologic time. This new epoch emerges as a consequence of increased technological development employed to accommodate an anthropocentric human existence. That is, rapid advancements in technology have driven the transformation from a primarily naturally controlled planet to …

Shifts In Thermal Habitats In The Gulf Of Maine Under Climate Change: A Case Study On American Lobster, Xinyi Zheng

Honors Theses

The rapid ocean warming observed in and predicted for the Gulf of Maine (GoM) raises uncertainties in the future distribution of American lobster (Homarus americanus). The location of lobsters is crucial to the long-term sustainability as well as management of Maine lobster fishery. This study provides a literature review of lobsters’ thermal preferences in the summer lobstering season and analyzes high-resolution sea surface temperature data in Geographic Information System in order to predict the changes in thermal habitats in the GoM under different climate change scenarios. The results show a projected decrease in cooler thermal habitats (11-15 °C) …

Temporal Changes In The Larval Placopecten Magellanicus Population In A Small-Scale Fishery Closure Area In Coastal Maine, Usa, Jessica P. Batchelder

Honors Theses

The Midcoast Maine Collaborative Scallop Project was established in 2013 by fishers, scientists, and policy makers to determine if a small-scale closure area could restore the local Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) population to an area in coastal Maine that previously supported high scallop densities. These stakeholders established a three by one mile closure area in the Lower Muscle Ridge Channel to assess the response of the adult and larval scallop populations. Understanding the larval dynamics in a closure area is key to evaluating the recovery potential of the population and for future population stock levels. This study …

The Process Of Reclaiming Tribal Sovereignty Through Healthcare Autonomy, Karolina A. Serhan

Honors Theses

This honors thesis explores the complex interplay between health status, healthcare, and tribal sovereignty among native communities in the United States. These relationships are explored through analyzing the paradoxical and condescending nature of the Federal Trust Responsibility in relation to government-organized healthcare programs for natives. In establishing this relationship, the thesis goes on to illustrate how native communities have effectively fought to regain sovereignty through reclaiming autonomy of their healthcare systems through the use of the 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The impact of tribal-led healthcare systems is further explored through an in-depth case study conducted regarding the …

The Colby Echo (2016-11-10), Colby College

The Colby Echo

Published by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly, during the academic year, 1898-present.

Media

Colby Magazine

No abstract provided.

Shorter Takes (Short Form)

Colby Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sweating The Small Stuff: Linking Plankton To Climate Change, Brian Kim '18 Makes Conncetions, Stephen Collins

Colby Magazine

It takes an expansive mind to connect microscopic marine copepods (certain crustacean plankton) unwittingly chomping on floating microplastics with a bigger picture: the planet’s carbon pump and global climate change. But that’s what Brian Kim ’18 decided to investigate during Jan Plan, working with Bigelow Lab Senior Research Scientist David Fields.

Full Issue

Colby Magazine

Colby Magazine vol. 104, no. 3 (Spring 2016): full issue

Colby Magazine Vol. 82, No. 1: January 1993, Colby College

Colby Magazine

No abstract provided.

Workshop Participant List

Colby College Museum of Art

No abstract provided.

Workshop Announcement

Colby College Museum of Art

No abstract provided.

The Colby Echo (2016-04-14), Colby College

The Colby Echo

Published by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly, during the academic year, 1898-present.

Media

Colby Magazine

No abstract provided.

Logging On To The Future: Opportunities Beckon For First Graduates Of Colby's Interdisciplinary Computation Majors, Jenny Chen

Colby Magazine

Opportunities beckon for first graduates of Colby's interdisciplinary computation majors. Colby’s new majors in interdisciplinary computation are growing as students add computer science skills to their interests in theater, biology, environmental studies, and music. The majors, uncommon at liberal arts colleges, have married seemingly disparate fields and have opened a new world of job and research opportunities.

They Care What You Eat: With Ingredients From The Classroom, Colbians Are Helping To Shape A New Maine, On The Farm, In The Sea, At The Restaurant Table, Gerry Boyle

Colby Magazine

With ingredients from the classroom, Colbians are helping to shape a new Maine, on the farm, in the sea, at the restaurant table.