Digital Commons Network^™

Soil Compaction Of Hardin Hall Green Space Social Trail On The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus, Danielle Jones

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Soil compaction is a common agricultural and urban landscape problem, particularly along cow paths and social trails, respectively. The social trail in the green space of Hardin Hall on the University of Nebraska- Lincoln East Campus has visual cues of soil compaction, due to the slow rate of water infiltration and lack of vegetation. Being the focus area of this study, a sampling grid was placed on the trail by measuring and sectioning it into equal sections. These sections were further divided into subsections of on-path and off-path for comparison. Soil structure, texture, bulk density, and water infiltration were analyzed …

How Renewable Energy Benefits Businesses And The Environment, Carson Schwalbach

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This project is being conducted in Lincoln, Nebraska, through a literature review and survey review. World energy consumption is continuing to rise, and global power generation is responsible for more pollution than any other single activity. Virtually all regions of the world have renewable energy sources, and businesses need to become leaders in the renewable energy movement, in order to preserve our environment for generations to come. The importance of our environment should not be overlooked, and the potential benefits of thinking sustainably are quantifiable. Conducting a literature review will help determine if there has been an increase in companies …

Urban Heat Island Of Lincoln, Nebraska, Evan Malloy

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this research was to prove Lincoln Nebraska is an urban heat island, and temperatures within canopy are on average warmer than outside of canopy. This research is important because an urban heat leads to negative impacts on the human health, higher energy costs are evident, and has detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. In the study, temperatures under canopy and outside of canopy were recorded both in the dense urban area of Lincoln, as well as its rural counterpart 10.9 miles from the city center at Deer Springs Winery. The temperatures were then graphed to analyze the differences. …

Water Quality On Reservations In Nebraska, Nathan A. Reece

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The study of water comes in many different shapes and sizes, as well as many different situations and with many different perceptions across the globe. This meta-analysis will be focused on reservations in the state of Nebraska as compared to issues in other states. As we hear more and more about unrest and unjust of some other places in America in the news we must remember that water is essential to ALL life on the Earth near and far and we should be aware of the state of the water we drink daily. In this frame of mind, let it …

Sympathy For The Devil: Conserving Tasmanian Devils In The Face Of A Devastating Disease, Hollie Konold

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is a highly transmissible cancerous disease that has contributed to a rapid decline in Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations since the first documented case in 1996 ^{(12, 14)}. Tasmanian devils are social animals and the disease, thought to be spread through facial bites, is highly contagious ^{(5, 10, 11)}. The disease results in large facial tumors near the mouth. Devils die within three months of diagnosis. Devils’ now shortened average lifespans and decreasing populations are not only problematic for the devils themselves, but also for the Tasmanian ecosystem as a whole …

Linking The New Ecological Paradigm Scale To How Pro-Environmental Behavior Is Developed, Sydney Lawton

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This exploratory study uses the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale paired with semi-structured interviews of participants that had a positive predisposition towards the environment to better understand how pro-environmental behavior is developed. Following closely previous qualitative studies on pro-environmental behavior development, dominant background influences including parental exposure to sustainability, growing up in a rural environment, exposure to gardening during childhood, and time spent with family outdoors during childhood were found to be important aspects of development of individuals with positive environmental attitudes that exhibit pro-environmental behaviors. In order to engender a positive future with a population of individuals with positive …

Acute Toxicity Study On The Impact Of Chlorpyrifos And Propiconazole In Apis Mellifera, Ryan Becker

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

There are a number of different ways for the decline of Apis melifera or the honey bee. It could be a lack of flowers (food), pesticides, viruses and even parasites. There is an accumulation of things, but this study focuses on the synergism between the fungicide propiconazole and the insecticide chlorpyrifos. These two pesticides are used to dose around 2,100 honeybees with an LD50 test for chlorpyrifos and a relative dose test for propiconazole. The two pesticides are then mixed into a 1:1 mixture ratio of chlorpyrifos and propiconazole and diluted with acetone. The bees are dosed and looked after …

Bio-Accumulation Of A Soil Fungicide In Western Barred Tiger Salamanders Via Earthworm Prey, Reece Allen

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Western Tiger Salamander in eastern Nebraska have experienced population declines in recent years. In eastern Nebraska there is a high degree of agricultural production compared to other regions of the state. Pyraclostrobin fungicide, a substance that has been shown to cause numerous deleterious effects to amphibian species via direct contact, is applied to cornfields in large amounts. While a number of experiments have been conducted showing the effects of pyraclostrobin via dermal contact in amphibians, little is known about the effects of fungicide bioaccumulation. In this study, 24 salamanders were split into 4 groups with each group ingesting earthworms which …

The Measure Of Nematode Diversity In Response To Varying Management Practices And Features In Restored And Remnant Prairie Ecosystems, Heaven Hulshizer

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A defining moment in American history involved the movement of immigrants across the land looking for space to make a living on and manifest destiny. The Great Plains provided more than enough of this space, and the tallgrass plains making up the eastern part of Nebraska was no exception to this, providing good climate and soils to accommodate bountiful crops. Looking at them now, the loss of tallgrass prairie has been immense. Restoration efforts for the tallgrass prairie have increased, yet it is still a conservation effort needing more analysis and understanding. Evaluation criteria for restored prairies is an important …

Environmental Exposure And Biophilic Influence On Prosocial Sentiments, Justin Mueller

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Scientific consensus states human civilization has had a profoundly negative effect on the environment, especially in the last two centuries. In addition to this, there an increasing concern for the psychological well-being of many members of our society. There is a theory known as biophilia that states humans have a natural affinity for things that are alive and in nature. Exposure to the environment has numerous benefits, including psychological, physiological, spiritual, and ethical improvements. This paper is a theoretical approach studying a potential positive relationship between the triggering of biophilia and prosocial behaviors. It is hypothesized that the existence of …

The Effect Of Soil Ph On The Integument Of The Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma Mavortium), Aaron Devine

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study was done in an effort to better understand the multifaceted issues in amphibian decline, specifically within the eastern regions of Nebraska, to determine whether or not human-induced acid rain contributed to the decline. This is a heavily important topic of research as amphibians worldwide are declining related to many issues that stem from climate change and several other environmental issues of that nature. This study looked to use acidic pH within soil from western Nebraska to determine the reactionary impacts (primarily lesions) the western tiger salamander had after being subjected to it. It was found that pH did …

Studying The Effect Of Urbanization On Tree Growth Surrounding Streams In Lincoln, Nebraska, Benjamin Heusinkvelt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Urban forests are important to many functions of not only the city itself but also the citizens that live there. They provide carbon storage, shade, invaluable erosion control and can act as barriers to flash floods. This thesis was completed inside the municipality of Lincoln, Nebraska and at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. Its purpose was to determine the effect urbanization has on tree growth in specific areas, in this case alongside stream banks. Data was collected from two test sites and analyzed to determine any differences. The results indicate that urban environments affect many characteristics of trees. This comparative …

A Relationship With Urban Farming, Tracey Adams

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

As the world’s population grows and cities expand into mega cities, so does poverty and the need for better food security. Barthel and Isendhal “define food security broadly as the situation when people have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs." (2013) Along with this growth, urban farming is gaining more and more interest. The drive behind the interest is a desire to know where food comes from as well as, a way to rekindle a relationship with our history, the land, and our health. “A consumer base is building for local …

Public Perception And Attitudes Associated With Climate Engineering, Mark Fowler

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Climate engineering has begun to enter the scientific mainstream as a potential agent of relief in the event that climate change threatens our food or water security. There has been little research conducted on the potential hazards of climate engineering, yet already has sparked controversy amongst the scientific community, as well as some of the public. The purpose of this research was to gauge current awareness and attitudes associated with climate engineering, and to measure if those attitudes were associated with political affiliation, as well as spirituality. This was done through administering a survey. The other portion of this research …

Wild Horse Management Of Carson City Nevada: What The Public Thinks, Katie Zuehlke

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

There are two types of management strategies that are used in Carson City, NV, which are the free roaming method and the immunocontraception method. Nevada is home to nearly half of the nation’s wild horses (7), and the Departments of Interior and Agriculture need to manage and protect the wild horses that reside on public land stated by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 (1). The objectives of this study are to obtain articles about the management of wild horses from previous studies, specifically look at Carson City and the community opinion about the wild horse management …

Identifying Change In Agricultural Practices In Relation To Ethanol Plant Location, Erik Doran

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study was performed to identify changes in agricultural practices throughout Nebraska between 1997 and 2007, a period of large ethanol production growth. By identifying ethanol plant locations and using county level data for variables such as bushels of corn produced, fertilizer and chemical application, agricultural cropland, cattle population and Conservation Reserve Program enrollment, percent change was calculated, mapped and graphed. The results did not show any evidence of change that could be linked to the ethanol plant locations.

This study did not take into account advances in management practices or improvements in technology the study time period. These changes …

An Alternative Assessment Of Groundwater Level Changes: An Example Application In Clay And Adams County, Nebraska, Jordan Shields

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study uses publicly available data (1934 to 2015) from several online sources relating to groundwater levels, bedrock depth, and annual precipitation from six wells located near Hastings, Nebraska. Traditionally, groundwater levels are presented in reports that show changes in terms of feet gained or lost. An alternative method employed in this study assesses variations in groundwater supply and availability using total saturated thickness of the groundwater system in terms of a percentage change in saturated thickness. This method represents groundwater resources in the context of the quantity available as opposed to the traditional method of changes in terms of …

On Balance: Preschool Children's Judgements Of Sociomoral, Environmental, And Social Conventional Transgressions, Whitney Drahota

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The current study investigates how preschool children judge behaviors that harm the environment as compared to moral transgressions, social-conventional transgressions, and personal choices. Forty-five preschool children (45% male) attending urban and rural preschool programs in Nebraska participated. An assessment tool was designed for this study and was comprised of a moveable balance scale on a game board. Pictures depicting different types of transgressions were attached to each end of the balance scale with Velcro and children judged which transgression was worse, or if both were equally bad. The results indicate that overall, children tended to judge socio-moral transgressions as worse …

The Connection Between Childhood Time Spent Outdoors And Adult Sustainability Behaviors, Rebecca Grosskurth

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The goal of this research is to examine the connection between childhood time spent in the outdoors and adult sustainability behaviors through investigating college student involvement in resource conservation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There is a growing library of research on how to successfully promote eco-friendly behaviors with little evidence of its successful application on a wide scale. The research questions are as follows: What is the connection between childhood time spent in nature and adult sustainability behaviors? To what extent do students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln practice sustainability behaviors? Researchers focused on environmental sustainability and defined the …

An Evidence Based Assessment Of Algae And Land Use Across Nebraska, Matt O'Nele

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of my thesis research is to examine blue green algae and land use trends across Nebraska using GIS technology in order to create a map that demonstrates any correlation between the data. Much research has already been conducted linking agricultural practices to eutrophication and I believe that upon examination of the data, that most of the water bodies containing high levels of blue green algae will be closely related to areas in high agricultural production. Specifically, I hypothesize that areas with a lot of corn production will see the most blue green algae blooms. I will use the …

Poor Air Quality Affects Those Who Have Served In Afghanistan, Kaylee Wheeler

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The United States has been in the war against terrorism for the past 14 years in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a country torn by war for hundreds of years which has impacted the landscape and the environment. The economy of Afghanistan has suffered as a result and the country is classified as an underdeveloped country, but the economy is gaining on a slow increase. There is still little enforcement on the environmental regulations resulting in thousands of Afghani deaths every year from poor air quality. The United States has contributed to the poor air quality by using open burn pits to …

Effect Of A Window Shade On Home Energy Use, Ben Eigbrett

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Shading windows has been shown to reduce energy costs by reducing temperatures inside of buildings. Previous studies focused on office buildings and shades that respond to changing light levels, and found that automatic window shades are more effective at reducing temperature than manual shades. Few studies have been done on the effectiveness of reducing temperature with window shades controlled by motion detectors, however, motion detectors have been found to reduce energy consumption from lighting systems. To see if motion detectors are also effective at reducing temperature when used with window shades, this study focused on a cheap, easy to install …

The Correlation And Awareness Level Of Human Perspective On Environmental Conditions Through Viticulture, Specifically In The Location Of Lincoln, Nebraska, Weslyn Anne Ramaekers

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Our climate is ever changing, and rapidly at that. Yet, people seem to be more and more unaware and disconnected to our changing environment. This is where wine comes in, wine is a complex and concrete representation of each subtle ecosystem change that occurs in the environment. Therefore, the research question for this study is, can wine be used as a tool to raise individuals awareness levels about the environment? This study was conducted at three wineries in the location of Lincoln Nebraska, through implementation of a Google Forums survey. The survey consisted of a combination of categorical and quantitative …

Investigating The Relationship Between Local Environmental Knowledge And Environmental Concern Among College Students, Danielle Hardesty

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Our global society is becoming increasingly aware of the way the climate is changing worldwide and the consequences that will result from those changes. An individual’s level of concern for the environment will likely affect how willing they are to engage in and support behaviors that aim to preserve the natural world. This study aimed to determine how local environmental literacy, degree program type and college grade level impact environmental concern. Two surveys were used in this project: one to measure environmental concern and one to measure local environmental literacy. The survey measuring environmental concern was the Revised New Ecological …

Analysis Of Persistent Marking Techniques Using Passive Integrated Transponders And Visible Implant Elastomer Through Metamorphosis In Ambystoma Mavortium, Brooke Welsh-Appleby

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Salamander species are a key component of monitoring ecosystem integrity and health as indicator species. Being able to monitor growth and development from larval to adult forms can provide important descriptive data such as growth, development, and survivorship. Passive integrated transponders (PIT) and visible implant elastomer (VIE) are two methods of permanent tagging through metamorphosis in salamander species. We were interested in what the retention rate of tags using PIT versus VIE through metamorphosis in Ambystoma mavortium. We hypothesized intramuscular PIT tags would be most successful compared to sub-cutaneous PIT tags and VIE injection. In our experiment, PIT tags retention …

Differences In Individual Perceptions Of Volcanic And Seismic Hazards, Justin Elwonger

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

While there has been significant research done on public perceptions of volcanoes and volcanic hazards, there are gaps in the literature in both studies regarding perceptions of earthquakes and seismic hazards as well as comparative studies on perceptions between tectonically active and inactive areas. This is an exploratory study that aims to lay the groundwork to help fill in some of these gaps. A free-response survey instrument was developed and deployed to populations of college students in Nebraska and Hawaii. Overall, responses showed that the types of perceptions in both locations are quite similar, but the frequency that those perceptions …

The Effects Of Political Culture And Structure On Nutrient Reduction Policy, Thien Chau

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Since 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has worked through a twelve state watershed nutrient task force to combat the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia that occurs every summer due to nutrient runoff in the Mississippi River basin. The hypoxic condition in the Gulf causes massive ecological and economic harm to the region and progress in addressing the issue has been slow. The twelve task force states represent a north-south cross section of the Basin and a variety of political cultures and structures. This research examines the openness to public participation resulting from political culture in these states and how that …

What Motivates Unl Students To Recreate Outdoors: A Case Study For Unl Outdoor Adventures, Isaac Cortes, Christina Woodworth

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Participation in outdoor recreation has gradually increased since the mid 1900s, especially among young people in the 18 to 35 year old age range. Growing up in Nebraska, many young people might not have the opportunity to participate in a wilderness experience. That’s where UNL Outdoor Adventures comes in. OA provides an outlet for UNL students and community members to experience outdoor recreation activities through an indoor climbing wall, bike shop, equipment rental area, challenge course, academic classes and adventure trips. As trip leaders for OA for more than four years, we have seen the positive effects outdoor recreation can …

The Comparative Effects Of Garden Pansies And Monilophytes On Perceived Stress Among College Students, Paige Dunkle

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study is designed to compare how college students rate their sense of stress in the presence of garden pansies or monilophytes (ferns). The objective is to discover more ways in which students can incorporate stress-reducing elements in their workspace. 32 students were placed in a room at a desk supplemented by a single pansy or fern. The students were asked to complete a 10 minute timed survey consisting of demographic questions and statements taken from the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. The hypothesis is that students will report feeling less stressed in the presence of the flowering pansy. Results consisting …

Reducing Energy Consumption In The Unl Residence Halls: A Case Study Of Unl's Participation In The 2015 Campus Conservation Nationals, Kyle Chapo

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Energy conservation has become an increasingly discussed topic in recent years as climate change marches onward and energy prices fluctuate. In response to the ever-present problem of energy cost rises, Campus Conservation Nationals was created to promote energy-saving behaviors in universities throughout the United States. UNL has participated in CCN before, but due to several external factors, failed to produce significant improvements to its energy consumption. The purpose of this project was to monitor their 2015 participation in an attempt to identify methods of increasing energy conservation in the future.