Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Environmental Health Strategy Center Membership, Jillian Blouin, Kaitlyn Bernard

Atlas of Maine

Membership analysis for the Maine based Environmental Health Strategy Center was performed to asses in which legislative districts their membership was strongest. Additional factors were considered such as levels of individual member activity, proximity to local newspapers and political swing districts based on members of the Natural Resources Committee.

Renewable Energy In Waterville: An Analysis Of Energy Load And Possible Biomass Facilities, Peter Smithy, Noah Teachey

Atlas of Maine

The goal of this research was to calculate the energy load of buildings in Waterville and to determine the feasibility of building a 5 Megawatt power plant at one of two sites. This would meet the heating requirements of the city through the piping of excess heat to the buildings. We determined the heating load by multiplying square footage with an estimate of energy load per square foot per year and the paths of the pipes were based on preexisting sewer pipes. Our preliminary analysis found that hypothetical power plant site 1 is more efficient in terms of piping distance …

Spatial Analysis Of Cardiovascular Disease Incidence And Potential Environmental Factors In The California Bay Area, Nick Papanastassiou, Sarah Holmes

Atlas of Maine

This project uses GIS to investigate proposed environmental factors that contribute to heart disease. This is based on several scientific articles (see references) that have hypothesized positive correlations between areas of increased air and noise pollution and dioxin emissions with heart disease incidence. We examined the Bay Area of California, which consists of nine counties. No significant correlation between our proposed factors and current heart disease incidence was found.

Road Networks In Downeast Maine, Garrison Beck

Atlas of Maine

This map highlights and classifies the road networks in Downeast Maine using ArcGIS 9.3 software.

Factors Influencing Epa Sites Along The Hudson River, Cassie Raker

Atlas of Maine

The Hudson River is under constant environmental threat from the cities located along its shores. In this project I looked at EPA monitored sites (including sites covered by Superfund) along the Hudson River and their relationships with dam location and urban density. By examining the number of EPA sites in relation to these two environmental factors, we can see if some sites are under substantially more risk than others. My goal in this study was to determine the importance of the relationships between dam density, urban presence, and EPA monitored toxic sites using GIS.

Access To Green Space In Boston, Jillian Howell

Atlas of Maine

The purpose of this project was to use GIS and statistical analyses to explore the relationship between access to green space and race in Boston. Using census data, the city was divided by race and block groups. Block groups were categorized based on whether or not they were adjacent to green space. Findings concluded that races are not equally distributed across adjacent and non adjacent block groups, indicating unequal access to green space.

Modeling Habitat Suitability For Moose (Alces Alaces) In Maine, Lauren Hendricks

Atlas of Maine

The moose is very important to Maine for many reasons, including economic and aesthetic value. It can also be very dangerous to vehicles. To effectively manage moose populations, it is important to know where these animals might be located. Using a GIS and information about moose habitat preferences, I created a model of suitable habitat for moose in Maine. This model, based primarily on land cover, is supported by data on the actual distribution of moose in Maine.

Safety At Colby College: Location Of Emergency Call Boxes Marked By Blue Lights And Vulnerable Locations At Colby College, Emily Ten Eyck

Atlas of Maine

Emergency Call Boxes have been implemented into the security procedures at Colby College. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the visibility of the Emergency Call Boxes that can be located by an accompanying blue light. I found that 44.2% of my study area has visibility of a blue light, 6 buildings of 38 buildings at Colby college have less than 50% visibility in the area around the building, and 16.7% of paths and roads do not have visibility of a blue light.

Potential Sea Level Rise In Downeast Maine, Jillian Blouin

Atlas of Maine

According to the IPCC 2001 Climate Change Working Group, sea-level rise equivalent to all the ice on earth melting would be 69.31 meters. A large change in global temperatures would have dramatic impact on areas including Downeast Maine. This map shows the regions of Downeast Maine that would be flooded if sea levels rose 15, 25, or 35 meters. A 35 meter sea level rise would occur if 50% of polar ice melted.

Colby Recreational Trail System, Garrison Beck, Larissa Lee

Atlas of Maine

Our map displays the Colby College trail system, along with campus buildings, pathways, an orthophoto background, rivers, ponds and streams. We created a digital elevation model based on contour line data. From there, we developed different levels of difficulty for the trails based on ranges in elevation. We created a 3-D model and exported video fly-through clips.

National Priority List (Npl) Sites In Downeast Maine, Sarah Sorenson

Atlas of Maine

This Atlas of Maine depicts the National Priority List (NPL) sites within the Downeast Region of Maine. This map was created using geographic information system (GIS) software in order to visually represent these sites as they relate to regional water bodies and road networks. There are 45 NPL sites within the Downeast region and are represented by orange and black target dots. Almost all of these sites are located along major roads, which are represented as black lines.

Transportation In The Downeast, Theo Papademetriou

Atlas of Maine

The Downeast region of Maine is a sparsely populated region yet has various networks for transportation. This map shows roads, railroads, and airports. This map also displays elevation and locations of lakes to place the location of this transportation network in context.

Forest And Fresh Water Habitat Suitability Of Downeast Maine, Larissa Lee

Atlas of Maine

This map shows the habitat suitability for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 91 Priority Trust Species of Downeast Maine.

District Of Columbia Displacement Trends: 1950-2010, Sarah Sorenson

Atlas of Maine

This project displays census tract data, namely racial statistics, in the District of Columbia over a time period from 1950-2010. By using graduated color symbols to represent racial group densities and ratios, a visual representation of population movements is achieved over time. Racial densities are also compared to medium household incomes to determine if wealth distribution is an indicator of population movement. From these statistical trends, it is possible to extrapolate the data into the future resulting in hypothetical district statistics for 2030 and 2050. The purpose of this study is to visually show past and future projected demographic trends …

Hurricane Surges And Flood Hazard Areas In Downeast Maine, Sally Holmes

Atlas of Maine

This map shows sections of Downeast Maine designated as flood hazard areas and mean tide and mean high tide hurricane surges.

Location, Location, Location: Residential Distributions On The Shorelines Of North Pond And East Pond, Sophie Sarkar

Atlas of Maine

In this study I examine the spatial distribution of high value and new residences on the shoreline of East Pond and North Pond. To do so, I analyzed property tax data in ArcGIS, between lakes and within lakes, to determine whether there was spatial clustering of the following shoreline property characteristics: property values, price/meter2 of land, and house age. The results identify six potential areas between the two lakes with significantly higher property values, land values, or house ages. If these variables are effective proxies for household income and resident age, then the identified areas may be good locations for …

Cell Phone Towers And Population Density In The Downeast Maine, Sophie Sarkar

Atlas of Maine

This map shows population density and cell phone tower locations in the Downeast Region of Maine.

Spatial Analysis Of Woodlot Feasibility In Providing Fuel To Colby College Biomass Facility, Theo Papademetriou

Atlas of Maine

This project analyzes woodlot feasibility in providing fuel for the biomass facility being built at Colby College in the spring of 2012. The demand for fuel is estimated at 22,000 tons of wood chips annually, fluctuating monthly due to consumption needs. This project identifies the most feasible woodlots for supplying Colby College based on size and distance from the plant. Categorized, the ranking of woodlots may be applied to decisions about where to get fuel as demand rises. Minimum and maximum thresholds can be derived and scaled based on demand.

Shellfish, Eelgrass, And Shorebird Habitat Of Downeast Maine, Noah Teachey

Atlas of Maine

The coast of Downeast Maine is home to a variety of marine plant and animal species. This map displays shellfish, eelgrass, and shorebird habitats on the coast of Downeast Maine.

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds [Presentation], Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

No abstract provided.

The Missing Link: The Ecology Of The Serpentine And The Implications For East And North Ponds, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

During the fall of 2011, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) studied the Serpentine connecting East Pond and North Pond. East and North Ponds are members of the larger seven-lake system known as the Belgrade Lakes, located in central Maine. There are over 5,500 lakes in Maine that contribute $6.7 billion to the economy annually through activities including boating, fishing, swimming etc. Additionally, Maine’s lakes are sources of municipal and agricultural water, act as flood buffers, and host a wide range of plant, animal, and fish life. Lakes in Maine are a crucial part society and should be studied and …

The Colby Oracle 2011, Colby College

The Colby Oracle

Colby College’s yearbook for the Class of 2011.

Website: 2011 Colby College Undergraduate Research Symposium, Colby College

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

Colby College Undergraduate Research Symposium 2011 Website

Contents:

Keynote Speaker

Schedule - Wednesday

Schedule - Thursday

Schedule - Friday

Poster Program

Associated Sessions

Abstracts

Honors Program

Independent Study Projects

Participating Departments/Programs

State Leadership For Safer Chemicals Policy Reform: Lessons From California, Maine, Minnesota And Washington, Michelle A. Russell

Honors Theses

Chemicals regulation under the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 fails to protect human health. In the absence of federal protection, safer chemicals legislation and implementation is moving forward in four states: Maine, Minnesota, California and Washington. Working in response to a loud public cry of concern and persistent grassroots organizing, these four states have enacted laws that regulate chemicals in consumer products. Maine, Minnesota and Washington chose to focus on regulating the chemicals used in children’s products, taking into consideration greater vulnerability in early development and the compelling public priority to protect children’s health. The most important factors …

Buffernomics: Assessing Willingness To Pay For Lake Conservation On North Pond And East Pond, Sophie D. Sarkar

Honors Theses

Hedonic property valuations in Maine have estimated that a one-meter decrease in water clarity can reduce shoreline property values by 4 to 16%. To avoid a loss on their lakefront investment, shoreline property owners have a particularly large incentive to conserve lake water quality. Nevertheless, while some shoreline residents voluntarily install vegetated buffers and actively participate in lake stewardship, others continue to ignore shoreline zoning laws at the expense of lake health. In this thesis, I examine the dichotomy of active and indifferent shoreline residents by analyzing the motivations that distinguish residents who are willing to pay (WTP) for and …

Zooplankton Of The Belgrade Lakes: The Influence Of Top-Down And Bottom-Up Forces In Family Abundance, Kimberly M. Bittler

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the abundance and family diversity of zooplankton communities in the Belgrade Lakes, and to identify the broad scale and local variables that structure zooplankton communities in this region. The local effects of shoreline development and the presence of macrophyte patches were compared to larger scale variables, such as watershed wide residential development. Zooplankton are an intermediate link in the freshwater food web, and communities respond both to predation pressures as well as nutrient inputs. Shoreline development was expected to influence zooplankton densities by the increased nutrient inputs via erosion off developed sites …

Biomass Energy At Colby College, Rachel E. Baron

Honors Theses

In light of growing concern regarding the effects of global climate change, Colby College signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2008. Through this pledge, Colby has committed to reducing carbon emissions in its Climate Action Plan (IPCC 2007; CCAP 2010). The College seeks to be carbon neutral by 2015 (CCAP 2010). This will be accomplished through a variety of mechanisms, one of which includes the construction of a biomass facility to replace most of the oil currently used for heating (CCAP 2010).

Anthropogenic global climate change has been documented by many scientists, but was widely …

The One That Carries You Away: Essays, Blair S. Braverman

Honors Theses

What is environmental writing? Phil Condon, author and professor at the University of Montana's Environmental Writing Institute, defines it as any piece of writing in which an important factor is nonhuman—be it animal, place, weather, et cetera. At the same time, he acknowledges that the primary limitation of this definition is its lack of limitations; because humans are constantly interacting with—and affected by—the nonhuman, virtually any piece of writing could be considered environmental. The Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment (ASLE), the nation's predominant organization for the academic study of environmental writing, defines itself through its focus …

The Colby Echo (2010-11-03), 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.

The Colby Echo (2010-10-06), 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.