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Faculty Excellence, University Of New Hampshire

Faculty Excellence Awards

Each year, the University of New Hampshire selects a small number of its outstanding faculty for special recognition of their achievements in teaching, scholarship and service. Awards for Excellence in Teaching are given in each college and school, and university-wide awards recognize public service, research, teaching and engagement. This booklet details the year's award winners' accomplishments in short profiles with photographs and text.

The Effects Of Ultraviolet Radiation, Highway Contamination, And Synergism Of The Two On Spotted Salamander Embryos, Sarah Letitia Turtle

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I examined the effects of ultraviolet radiation, highway contamination and a synergism of both factors on the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum embryos in field and laboratory experiments. There are numerous reports of amphibian population declines from around the world. There are several possible factors causing the decline, including, habitat loss, environmental pollution, disease, and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB, 290--320 nm). Results of studies conducted to date seem to indicate that the impacts of these factors vary greatly among species and across geography. Amphibians have unique characteristics and life histories that make them more vulnerable to changes in …

Exploring Other Worlds: Margaret Fox, Elisha Kane, And The Antebellum Culture Of Curiosity, David Alexander Chapin

Doctoral Dissertations

Antebellum Americans had a strong interest in the unknown, which manifested itself simultaneously in highbrow, middlebrow, and lowbrow culture. Venues such as scientific institutions, lyceums, lecture halls, the "penny-press," and the dime-museum all catered to American curiosity. Exploring Other Worlds examines this "culture of curiosity," arguing that curiosity was a defining trait of antebellum America, transcending many of the boundaries we often associate with the era. Curiosity promoted intellectual interest in science, but it also led to the sensationalism of modern commercial popular culture.

The inter-related lives of Elisha Kane and Margaret Fox demonstrate this thesis. Kane was America's first …

Biodiversity And Phytogeography Of Bolivia's Wetland Flora, Nur Paul Ritter

Doctoral Dissertations

The composition, diversity, and phytogeographic affinities of the vascular flora of Bolivia's wetlands were examined and compared with wetland floras from the other Neotropical countries and the New World Temperate region. Forty-six wetlands distributed throughout Bolivia and ranging in elevation from 90 in to >4400 m were established as study sites. Regional and national wetland floras were compiled from field research, the literature, herbarium specimens, and available databases.

Two thousand and sixty species in 149 families and 666 genera were identified as associated with wetlands in Mesoamerica and tropical and subtropical South America. Of these, 1026 species in 126 families …

Soil Hydraulic Controls Over Nitrogen Oxide Emissions And Nitrogen Cycling In Tropical Agriculture, Antje M. Weitz

Doctoral Dissertations

Soils are the major natural source of nitrous oxide (N2O). Intensive land use increased atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse gas. Soil microbes produce and consume nitrogen oxides (NO, N2O) during the processes of nitrification (aerobic) and denitrification (anaerobic). Micro-scale variability of controlling factors cause nitrification and denitrification to occur simultaneously in soils, resulting in high spatial variability of nitrogen oxide emissions. Fertilization increases nutrient availability and thus N2O fluxes. Forest soils in the humid tropics account for 20--50% of all N2O sources. Expansion and intensification of tropical agriculture is expected to increase atmospheric N2O concentrations.

We measured N2O fluxes from …

Sensitivity Of A High‐Elevation Rocky Mountain Watershed To Altered Climate And Co2, Jill S. Baron, Melannie D. Hartman, L. E. Band, Richard B. Lammers

Faculty Publications

We explored the hydrologic and ecological responses of a headwater mountain catchment, Loch Vale watershed, to climate change and doubling of atmospheric CO2 scenarios using the Regional Hydro‐Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys). A slight (2°C) cooling, comparable to conditions observed over the past 40 years, led to greater snowpack and slightly less runoff, evaporation, transpiration, and plant productivity. An increase of 2°C yielded the opposite response, but model output for an increase of 4°C showed dramatic changes in timing of hydrologic responses. The snowpack was reduced by 50%, and runoff and soil water increased and occurred 4–5 weeks earlier with 4°C …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 89 [90], No. 22 (Nov. 16, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 89, but it is the 90th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Geography Awareness Week Includes Gis Open House, Carmelle Druchniak

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 89 [90], No. 20 (Nov. 9, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 89, but it is the 90th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Pollution Prevention: Factors Behind Toxic Release Reduction In The U.S. Paper Industry, John P. Tiefenbacher, William D. Solecki

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Tiefenbacher and Solecki analyze the factors associated with, and influential in, the reduction of toxic releases in the U.S. paper industry.

Maximum Temperature Trends In The Himalaya And Its Vicinity: An Analysis Based On Temperature Records From Nepal For The Period 1971–94, Arun B. Shrestha, Cameron P. Wake, Paul A. Mayewski, Jack E. Dibb

Earth Sciences

Analyses of maximum temperature data from 49 stations in Nepal for the period 1971–94 reveal warming trends after 1977 ranging from 0.068 to 0.128C yr21 in most of the Middle Mountain and Himalayan regions, while the Siwalik and Terai (southern plains) regions show warming trends less than 0.038C yr21. The subset of records (14 stations) extending back to the early 1960s suggests that the recent warming trends were preceded by similar widespread cooling trends. Distributions of seasonal and annual temperature trends show high rates of warming in the high-elevation regions of the country (Middle Mountains and Himalaya), while low warming …

Risk Comparisons In A Democratic Society: What People Say They Do And Do Not Want, Branden B. Johnson

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using an exploratory focus group, Dr. Johnson examines citizen responses to common risk message techniques.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 88 [89], No. 52 (May 7, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 88, but it is the 89th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Simulations Of Snow Distribution And Hydrology In A Mountain Basin, Melannie D. Hartman, Jill S. Baron, Richard B. Lammers, Donald W. Cline, Larry E. Band, Glen E. Liston, Christina L. Tague

Faculty Publications

We applied a version of the Regional Hydro‐Ecologic Simulation System (RHESSys) that implements snow redistribution, elevation partitioning, and wind‐driven sublimation to Loch Vale Watershed (LVWS), an alpine‐subalpine Rocky Mountain catchment where snow accumulation and ablation dominate the hydrologic cycle. We compared simulated discharge to measured discharge and the simulated snow distribution to photogrammetrically rectified aerial (remotely sensed) images. Snow redistribution was governed by a topographic similarity index. We subdivided each hillslope into elevation bands that had homogeneous climate extrapolated from observed climate. We created a distributed wind speed field that was used in conjunction with daily measured wind speeds to …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 88 [89], No. 50 (April 30, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 88, but it is the 89th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 88 [89], No. 49 (April 27, 1999), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 88, but it is the 89th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Ellsworth Town Report, 1998., Ellsworth Town Representatives

Ellsworth, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

The Role Of Trust In The North Blackforest: An Evaluation Of A Citizen Panel Project, Ragnar E. Löfstedt

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Löfstedt explores the effectiveness of a public participation project conducted in Germany, designed to involve citizens in the siting of municipal waste disposal plants.

Ecological And Population Changes In Fishing Communities Of The North Atlantic Arc, Lawrence C. Hamilton, Richard L. Haedrich

Sociology

In the decades since World War II, large-scale ecological changes have affected fishing communities across the northern Atlantic. Substantial declines hit their historically important resources, most notably the Atlantic cod. Such declines were often accompanied by increases in other, previously less exploited, species. Interactions between fishing pressure and environmental variation have driven ecological change. Ecological changes in turn reshaped the fisheries, contributing to altered demographic profiles of fisheries-dependent communities. Many places lost population, especially through out-migration of young adults. Broad social forces also contributed to these trends, but the timing and geographical details of population changes often correspond to specific …

Analysis Of Impact And Value Of Neasc High School Accreditation Procedures On School Accountability And School Improvement From 1987-1997, George Allan Cushing

Doctoral Dissertations

From a 1983 federal study which concluded, as its title suggests, that America had become A Nation at Risk because of a failing public school system, the modern standards movement was born. This educational reform movement beginning in the 1980's and continuing through the 1990's brought about the development and establishment of many accountability and improvement initiatives aimed at public schools. Also during this time, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), through its Commission on Public Secondary Schools along with five other regional accrediting agencies across the country, was continuously engaged in the practice of evaluating and …

Finding A Voice: Poetry And Performance With First Graders, Lisa Lenz Bianchi

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a qualitative research study of a ten week immersion unit in the reading, writing, and performance of poetry conducted in a first grade classroom in Closter, New Jersey during the winter of 1995. The three girls selected as case studies show the ways in which remarkably different children expand their repertoires of ways with words as speakers, readers, and writers. Danielle, a performative speaker, learns to make her tacit knowledge about performance part of her explicit frames of reference. This shift enables her to serve as a coach for peers who are less adept at crafting performative texts. …

Viability And Spatial Assessment Of Ecological Communities In The Northern Appalachian Ecoregion, Mark Gustav Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

My objective was to design a conservation reserve system that included multiple viable examples of all ecological community types within one specific ecoregion---the Northern Appalachians. I developed and defined the boundaries of the ecoregion, constructed a comprehensive list of the ecological communities and determined their scale of occurrence and distribution patterns. I also assessed the types and distributions of biophysical features within the ecoregion and developed a hierarchical scheme to partition the region into biophysical subregions. Subsequently, I assessed 1500 occurrences of ecological communities in the region compiled from state Natural Heritage databases and an analysis of roadless areas. Each …

Thinking Through Performance: Children Make Sense Of Characters And Social Relationships Through A Gesture-Based Theatre Convention (Tableau), Georgia Patricia Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations

This inquiry considers a gesture-based theatre convention called tableau as used by first and second graders during language arts instruction. I argue that tableau acts as a medium of thinking, used to make sense of literary text and of social relationships. Tableau is largely non-language-based; it augments instructional practices that are primarily language-based. Tableau reveals sophisticated understandings children cannot yet put into language. As such, tableau offers educators a means to cast children as capable analysts of literature.

Qualitatively oriented, this inquiry uses instrumental case study methods of observation and data analysis coupled with a concurrent conceptual study of the …

Atmospheric Transport And Deposition Of Water -Soluble Nitrogen To The Gulf Of Maine, Carolyn Estelle Jordan

Doctoral Dissertations

An intensive sampling program was carried out from May 1994 through November 1997 on the shore of the Gulf of Maine in New Castle, New Hampshire. Daily (24 hour averages) samples of bulk aerosol and gas phase HNO3, precipitation, and 20 aerosol size distributions were obtained. Particulate NH4+ and gas phase HNO3 were the dominant water-soluble nitrogen species in the atmosphere. Nitrate was the dominant inorganic nitrogen ion in precipitation.

These samples were used with 1000 hPa streamlines to classify sampled air masses according to their surface level transport and chemistry. Overall, mixed conditions occurred in 42% of the samples, …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 88 [89], No. 25 (Dec. 8, 1998), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 88, but it is the 89th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

Seasonal Patterns And Controls On Net Ecosystem Co2 Exchange In A Boreal Peatland Complex, Jill L. Bubier, Patrick M. Crill, Tim R. Moore, Kathleen Savage, Ruth K. Varner

Faculty Publications

We measured seasonal patterns of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 in a diverse peatland complex underlain by discontinuous permafrost in northern Manitoba, Canada, as part of the Boreal Ecosystems Atmosphere Study (BOREAS). Study sites spanned the full range of peatland trophic and moisture gradients found in boreal environments from bog (pH 3.9) to rich fen (pH 7.2). During midseason (July‐August, 1996), highest rates of NEE and respiration followed the trophic sequence of bog (5.4 to −3.9 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) < poor fen (6.3 to −6.5 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) < intermediate fen (10.5 to −7.8 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) < rich fen (14.9 to −8.7 μmol CO2m−2 s−1). The sequence changed during spring (May‐June) and fall (September‐October) when ericaceous shrub (e.g., Chamaedaphne calyculata) bogs and sedge (Carex spp.) communities in poor to intermediate fens had higher maximum CO2 fixation rates than deciduous shrub‐dominated (Salix spp. and Betula spp.) rich fens. Timing of snowmelt and differential rates of peat surface thaw in microtopographic hummocks and hollows controlled the onset of carbon uptake in spring. Maximum photosynthesis and respiration were closely correlated throughout the growing season with a ratio of approximately 1/3 ecosystem respiration to maximum carbon uptake at all sites across the trophic gradient. Soil temperatures above the water table and timing of surface thaw and freeze‐up in the spring and fall were more important to net CO2 exchange than deep soil warming. This close coupling of maximum CO2 uptake and respiration to easily measurable variables, such as trophic status, peat temperature, and water table, will improve models of wetland carbon exchange. Although trophic status, aboveground net primary productivity, and surface temperatures were more important than water level in predicting respiration on a daily basis, the mean position of the water table was a good predictor (r2 = 0.63) of mean respiration rates across the range of plant community and moisture gradients. Q10 values ranged from 3.0 to 4.1 from bog to rich fen, but when normalized by above ground vascular plant biomass, the Q10 for all sites was 3.3.

The New Hampshire, Vol. 88 [89], No. 19 (Nov. 10, 1998), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 88, but it is the 89th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

American Square Dance Vol. 53, No. 11 (Nov. 1998), Juiare, Ed, Juiare, Pat

American Squares

Monthly square dance magazine that began publication in 1945.

Effects Of Land Cover, Water Redistribution, And Temperature On Ecosystem Processes In The South Platte Basin, Jill S. Baron, Melannie D. Hartman, Timothy G. F. Kittel, Larry E. Band, Dennis S. Ojima, Richard B. Lammers

Faculty Publications

Over one‐third of the land area in the South Platte Basin of Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, has been converted to croplands. Irrigated cropland now comprises 8% of the basin, while dry croplands make up 31%. We used the RHESSys model to compare the changes in plant productivity and vegetation‐related hydrological processes that occurred as a result of either land cover alteration or directional temperature changes (−2°C, +4°C). Land cover change exerted more control over annual plant productivity and water fluxes for converted grasslands, while the effect of temperature changes on productivity and water fluxes was stronger in the mountain vegetation. …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 88 [89], No. 16 (Oct. 27, 1998), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 88, but it is the 89th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.