Digital Commons Network^™

Benthic Algal Biomass And Productivity Across Depth Gradients In Lakes Michigan And Erie, Ahmed Ogidan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Benthic primary production is poorly quantified in the Laurentian Great Lakes relative to phytoplankton-based production. We measured benthic chlorophyll and benthic primary productivity on soft sediments and Dreissena shells along depth gradients in Lakes Erie (2024) and Michigan (2025) during EPA Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative cruises. We measured benthic chlorophyll fluorometrically and estimated benthic primary productivity using non-invasive oxygen exchange incubations. We used PAM fluorometry to characterize photosynthetic-irradiance relationships on mussel shells and sediments in Lake Michigan. In Lake Erie, sediment chlorophyll ranged from 20 to 150 mg m⁻², with highest values in the central basin. In Lake Michigan, …

Ocean Acidification Mitigation: Potential Expansion Of Sav Restoration Strategy In The Chesapeake Bay, Cree N. Taylor

UROP Posters

Zostera marina is a species of marine macrophyte that has been largely prioritized in past submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) restoration initiatives within the Chesapeake Bay because of its 1) previous abundance, 2) demonstrated carbon burial abilities, and 3) observed ability for meadows of Z. marina to ameliorate low pH conditions. Due to the temperature variability and poor water quality associated with anthropogenic disturbances in the Chesapeake Bay, Z. Marina beds have experienced several die-off events with limited capacity for regrowth. This systematic review explored the possible benefits of focusing future SAV recovery initiatives on ensuring a diverse variety of SAV …

Critical Minerals Mining And Native American Sovereignty: Comparing Case Studies Of Lithium, Copper, Antimony, Nickel And Graphite Mining In The United States, Macdonald Amoah, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Dustin Mulvaney, Morgan D. Bazilian, Richard Luarkie, Daniel Cardenas

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Owing to the historical patterns of colonialism and settlement, many of the remaining undeveloped mineral resources needed for a low-carbon energy transition are located on lands that have historic, ancestral, or cultural significance to Native American Tribes and Indigenous communities, as well as are near environmental-sensitive areas. While some mining projects occur on private land, the majority of mining projects are proposed for lands owned by the United States Federal Government and managed by multiple agencies (United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management etc.) with goals across the spectra from natural resource development to cultural resource conservation. Through a …

Educational Materials On Pollinator-Friendly Yards To Increase Residential Support, Armarie Williams

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are over 200,000 pollinator species in the world and humans rely on them for a diverse range of wants and needs. Everything from daily nourishment to the global economy can be traced back to these little creatures, yet pollinator populations are declining and at risk of global extinction. The health and future of pollinators relies greatly upon the public's support and evidence indicates residential yards can assist pollinators by providing food, shelter, and refuge. Research shows that awareness of pollinator declines correlates with one’s willingness to partake in pollinator conservation. This project answers the research question: How can educational …

Fostering A Sense Of Place In Language Immersion Preschool Through Environmental Exploration, Elise Lindell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper endeavors to address the need of outdoor environmental education in language immersion early childhood education settings. It investigates the impact of outdoor education on child development, looking at cognitive, social/emotional, and physical benefits. It examines the affective impact of attention fatigue, attention restoration, learned helplessness, and action competence. It also looks at the effect of place-based education in fostering a sense of place, and the role of sense of place in encouraging the development of an environmentally aware lifestyle. Finally, it proposes a place-based environmental education curriculum of six lessons, in French and English, around the subject of …

Essential Understandings For Non-Indigenous Science Educators When Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge And Ways Of Knowing, Genia Cegla

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Historically, Indigenous Native American voices have been silenced and disregarded as a result of the US’ colonial history. Educators are in a unique position that allows us to begin healing from this past through equity and inclusion which studies show are essential to success for students in school and beyond. While many teachers acknowledge the importance of including Indigenous Knowledge in curricula, they lack the support and resources for how to start. This capstone aims to answer the question: What insights are necessary for non-Indigenous educators when incorporating Indigenous knowledge into climate change curricula? The final project is designed as …

Filmmakers Plan Um Screening Of Environmental Justice Documentary, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

Campus premiere of "Our Movement Starts Here' to include panel discussion, exhibit. Filmmakers John Rash and Melanie Ho had a busy summer showing their documentary feature Our Movement Starts Here at film festivals. Now they're bringing the acclaimed production to the University of Mississippi for a screening and discussion.

Embodied Energy Injustice And The Political Ecology Of Solar Power, Dustin Mulvaney

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Solar energy is poised to become a major source of electricity around the world. As deployment rises to terawatts levels, these industries will drive demand for specific materials, natural resources, labor, and lands with solar energy resources reconfiguring socio-ecological relations. Global change from the development of solar power commodity chains includes increased demand for minerals and metals, new places for metallurgy and smelting, shifting workforce flows, occupational safety challenges from extractive industries to semiconductor manufacturing fabs. These new geographies of production could result in increased emissions and effluents from specialty chemical industries, conservation and agricultural land use change, and questions …

Fall Southtalks Series Explores Southern Environments, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

Events kick off Sept. 12 with journalist Tracie McMillan. The environment can refer to a person's surroundings or conditions, or a particular geographical area. Taking the latter meaning, the University of Mississippi's Center for the Study of Southern Culture hones in on Southern environments for its 2024-25 programming.

Identifying And Removing Barriers To Accessibility In Environmental Education And Outdoor Recreation, Patricia Bonnin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

There are numerous mental, physical, and socio-emotional health benefits to spending time outdoors, and this is especially true for people with disabilities. However, outdoor spaces such as park systems, nature centers, and other natural places are typically not accessible for people with disabilities. Research shows there are numerous barriers they encounter when trying to attend outdoor areas. The capstone project, titled Nature Adapted: Guidebook for evaluating and modifying current programs and practices to increase outdoor accessibility, was created to assist environmental education centers and outdoor recreation organizations in becoming more inclusive. It includes information sections, pre-assessements, reflections, and places to …

Stories Elicit Feelings Of Kinship And Inspire Pro-Environmental Behavior, Ellen Shaw

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Humans pass down stories to transmit ways of knowing and ways of interacting within their culture. For Indigenous humans, stories give outsiders insight into a deeply intertwined connection with the environment. As a woman of European descent teaching Environmental Education classes, my lack of awareness inspired the question, How can a story lead to adolescents developing a kinship with the more-than-human elements of a place and lead to pro-environmental behavior grounded in reciprocity? The literature review focused on elevating Indigenous authors such as; Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gregory Cajete, Jessica Hernadez, Albert Wiggan, Masanobu Fukuoka. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is the current …

Integrating Environmental Education Into The 4th-Grade Classroom, Brandi Mckenna

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The growing awareness of the effects of climate change on our planet and the need for solutions that slow, stop, or potentially reverse these effects have led to the desire to increase environmental education in our youth. Research shows that building environmental literacy and stewardship helps create citizens with pro-environmental behaviors. Since the Tbilisi Declaration in 1977, there has been significant growth in environmental education programs in non-traditional education settings. However, despite the need for environmental education, it struggles to gain a strong footing in the traditional classroom. This is due to multiple reasons, with educator preparedness and resources being …

Faith Development In Informal Environmental Education Through Rock Climbing, Kylie Knutsen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The outdoor world invites a sense of wonder, of learning, of believing in something bigger than yourself. In order to foster this connection for years to come, it is necessary to find ways to connect individuals to the land around them. This capstone project answers the question: How can rock climbing contribute to the faith development of students and educators in the informal environmental education setting? Through research into this topic, it is concluded that place-based and outdoor experiences have the opportunity to increase both environmental literacy and Christian faith for individuals and communities. This research was used to develop …

Ocean Literacy: Understanding The Importance Of Sharks In Marine Ecosystems, Nicole Mueller Januário

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The ocean covers about 71% of our planet’s surface and provides us with food and marine resources. It regulates global climate and weather patterns, and acts as a climate change carbon sink yet remains largely unprotected. A restorative human-ocean relationship is urgently needed to combat the negative impacts of humanity and climate change and support marine biodiversity. Sharks, one of the oldest fish species and apex predators, play a crucial role in maintaining a balanced marine ecosystem and healthy ocean. However, sharks are threatened by climate change and illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing and finning. A radical behavior change is also …

Experiential Gardening For Environmental Literacy And Food Systems Awareness, Adam De Leeuw

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

School and community gardens have a rich history from the late 19th Century to the present, which includes the voices of Agassiz, Greene, Dewey, Washington Carver, Du Bois, and Montessori. This history spans the periods of school gardens from ‘nature study,’ the School Garden Army, Victory Gardens, the Tbilisi Declaration, and Garden-based learning. The purpose of this capstone project was to answer the following question: What are the individual lessons needed in a curriculum to support and connect experiential school and community garden programs for K-2 youth to serve as effective educational tools for environmental literacy and food systems awareness? …

Creating A Community Garden To Enhance Environmental Education And Action In 10th-12th Grade Boys, Tess Ingebrigtsen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to understand how making community connections through the creation of a community garden will emphasize environmental education and action from students. The guiding question of this project is: How can creating a community garden enhance environmental education and action for 10th-12th grade boys in a science elective? Throughout this project, I explore how 10th-12th grade boys' perceptions and feelings on environmental education and action develop and change through the process of creating, designing, and maintaining a community garden and making community connections through their school. Throughout this project, a multitude of major learnings occurred …

Overcoming Barriers To Improved Decision-Making For Battery Deployment In The Clean Energy Transition, Brian Tarroja, Julie M. Schoenung, Oladele Ogunseitan, Alissa Kendall, Yang Qiu, Timothy Malloy, Jens Peters, J. Mijin Cha, Dustin Mulvaney, Oliver Heidrich, Manuel Baumann

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Decarbonization plans depend on the rapid, large-scale deployment of batteries to sufficiently decarbonize the electricity system and on-road transport. This can take many forms, shaped by technology, materials, and supply chain selection, which will have local and global environmental and social impacts. Current knowledge gaps limit the ability of decision-makers to make choices in facilitating battery deployment that minimizes or avoids unintended environmental and social consequences. These gaps include a lack of harmonized, accessible, and up-to-date data on manufacturing and supply chains and shortcomings within sustainability and social impact assessment methods, resulting in uncertainty that limits incorporation of research into …

The Chanterelle: The Magazine Of Environmental Studies At Cal Poly Humboldt, 2023-2024

The Chanterelle

The Chanterelle showcases the written work of Environmental Studies majors at Cal Poly Humboldt. Each contributing author enrolled in “ENST 395W: Research & Analysis for Environmental Studies” during the 2023-2024 academic year. While each student chose their own topic, they were prompted to write for a public audience. Specifically, they were encouraged to write for a friend, co-worker, roommate, sibling, or any other family member. Our intended audience in this magazine is thus public. We hope you enjoy this collective project. It is the outcome of course readings, research, and peer edits.

Rollins Oral History Interview With Bruce Stephenson, Bruce Stephenson, Wenxian Zhang

Oral Histories

Bruce Stephenson earned a BA in history from Florida Southern College and a Master in city planning from Ohio State University.  He worked as land use planner for Pinellas County, Florida before receiving a PhD from Emory University.  His dissertation unveiled John Nolen’s 1923 plan for St. Petersburg, Florida’s first comprehensive city plan, and centered Stephenson's first book, Visions of Eden.

Dr. Stephenson started his teaching career at Rollins in 1988 and served as a professor in Environmental Studies for more than 35 years. His second book, John Nolen, Landscape Architect and City Planner, earned the JB Jackson …

What Are Rural Minnesota Elementary Teachers’ Views Regarding Their Preparedness To Teach Environmental Education, Benjamin Odegaard

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Odegaard, B. (2024). What are rural Minnesota elementary teachers’ views regarding their preparedness to teach environmental education. Research has been done on how environmental education (EE) is a positive for students, but not a lot of research has been done on how well the teachers understand EE. Specifically there has been little to no research on rural Minnesota elementary teachers. This thesis takes a look at how well prepared these teachers think they are when it comes to teaching EE in their classrooms. A survey was made using a mixed methods approach. Most of the questions in the survey consisted …

Connecting Urban Elementary Students To Watershed Health Through Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Evangeline Holley

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Bodies of water play many important roles in the lives of everyone, but climate change and other human interference continue to threaten their health. In order to support the health of our watersheds for years to come, it is important that we find ways to help students develop environmental stewardship of their local watersheds. This capstone project answers the question: How can educators help urban elementary students become more connected to supporting the health of their local watersheds through the use of aquatic macroinvertebrates? Through research into this topic, it is concluded that place-based environmental education that allows students to …

Full Issue, Volume 3

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Full issue for volume 3

The Influence Of Abiotic Stress And Cultivar Variation On Plant Defenses And Resistance To Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis) In Cultivated Olive (Olea Spp), Idris B. Elesin

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an invasive pest that significantly impacts olive trees (Olea europaea). This study aimed to assess the role of abiotic stress factors such as drought and salinity in influencing plant defenses and resistance to EAB, while also examining cultivar variation in resistance. The study specifically aimed to address: (1) What effects do varying degrees of abiotic stress (drought, salinity) have on olive trees' antioxidant and peroxidase activity in olive tree? (2) Do distinct olive cultivars exhibit varying levels of resistance to EAB under various stressors? We used a controlled experimental design with two stress …

How Does A Global Climate Cycle Affect The Reproductive Output Of A Neotropical Migratory Bird?, Abby K. Bressette, Emma Cummings, Daniel Albrecht-Mallinger, Lesley Bulluck

UROP Posters

El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) causes regional changes in climate and has been found to have varying effects on the survival, fecundity, and recruitment of migratory songbirds. This study seeks to better understand the effect of ENSO on the fecundity of Virginia-breeding Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea; PROW), a neotropical migratory songbird. PROW breed in the Eastern United States and spend the non-breeding season primarily in Panama and Colombia. Ongoing research in Virginia has found a positive relationship between spring precipitation and predicted number of PROW fledgelings during La Niña, but the opposite during El Niño. To better understand this relationship, we …

Carry-Over Effects Of Climate On Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea) Feather Quality, Alyssa N. Spasic, Dan Albrecht-Mallinger, Lesley Bulluck

UROP Posters

Avian species have inspired numerous studies on ornamentation, exploring its role in intra- and intersexual selection as a marker for individual quality. Male birds have been the focus of most of these studies while females, which can also display ornamentation, have been studied less. Coloration achieved through molt, particularly carotenoid-based pigments, requires energy derived from food resources. As climate affects insect abundance, there may be a link between climate conditions during molt and feather quality the following season. We assessed the relationship between temperature and precipitation during molt and female Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) breast and crown feather reflectance metrics …

Examination Of Urinary Pesticide Concentrations, Protective Behaviors, And Risk Perceptions Among Latino And Latina Farmworkers In Southwestern Idaho, Carly Hyland, Alejandra Hernandez, Éric Gaudreau, Jessica Larose, Jean-François Bienvenu, Lisa Meierotto, Rebecca L. Som Castellano, Cynthia L. Curl

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: Studies have documented high levels of pesticide exposure among men farmworkers; however, few have examined exposures or the experiences of women farmworkers. Data gaps also exist regarding farmworkers’ perceived risk and control related to pesticides, information that is critical to develop protective interventions.

Objective: We aimed to compare urinary pesticide biomarker concentrations between Latino and Latina farmworkers and examine associations with occupational characteristics, risk perceptions, perceived control, and protective behaviors.

Methods: We enrolled a convenience sample of 62 farmworkers (30 men and 32 women) during the pesticide spray season from April–July 2022 in southwestern Idaho. Participants were asked to …

What A Waste: Nitrogen Runoff And Rates In The Maumee River (Ohio, Usa), Ryanne Antonette Cimatu

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Excess anthropogenic nitrogen (N), primarily from agricultural field fertilization, causes nutrient runoff that stimulates harmful algal blooms (HABs) in western Lake Erie. As a critical tributary to Lake Erie, nutrient loading from the Maumee River drives the intensity of the annual summer HABs in the western basin. Knowledge gaps around rates of N transformations in the Maumee River currently hinder the calibration of in-river parameters in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) models for the Maumee watershed. To address these gaps, this research quantified rates of ammonium uptake, ammonium remineralization, nitrification, and bacterial respiration alongside physicochemical parameters of the river. …

Opening The Black Box: Carbon-Footprint Calculators, Meat Consumption, And The “Wicked Problem” Of Metric Governance, E. Melanie Dupuis, Dustin Mulvaney

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Carbon-footprint calculators are widely used as communication and education tools, designed to make people aware of the ways their personal actions contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions. However, they have come under criticism for emphasizing individual behavior versus structural change. We extend this critique to argue that carbon-footprint calculators are a form of “metric governance” that not only disciplines users but also constrains their abilities to engage with the complexities of climate change and social action. We focus on a particularly wicked problem of carbon-metric governance: livestock greenhouse-gas emissions. We show that carbon-footprint calculators black box and fix the complex politics and …

Lithium And Water: Hydrosocial Impacts Across The Life Cycle Of Energy Storage, James J.A. Blair, Noel Vineyard, Dustin Mulvaney, Alida Cantor, Ali Sharbat, Kate Berry, Elizabeth Bartholomew, Ariana Firebaugh Ornelas

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

As a key ingredient of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), lithium plays a significant role in climate change mitigation, but lithium has considerable impacts on water and society across its life cycle. Upstream extraction methods—including open-pit mining, brine evaporation, and novel direct lithium extraction (DLE)—and downstream processes present different impacts on both the quantity and quality of water resources, leading to water depletion and contamination. Regarding upstream extraction, it is critical for a comprehensive assessment of lithium's life cycle to include cumulative impacts related not only to freshwater, but also mineralized or saline groundwater, also known as brine. Legal frameworks …

Genetic And Environmental Drivers Of Migratory Behavior In Western Burrowing Owls And Implications For Conservation And Management, Kelly Barr, Christen M. Bossu, Rachael A. Bay, Eric C. Anderson, Jim Belthoff, Lynne A. Trulio, Debra Chromczak, Colleen L. Wisinski, Thomas B. Smith, Kristen C. Ruegg

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Migration is driven by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, but many questions remain about those drivers. Potential interactions between genetic and environmental variants associated with different migratory phenotypes are rarely the focus of study. We pair low coverage whole genome resequencing with a de novo genome assembly to examine population structure, inbreeding, and the environmental factors associated with genetic differentiation between migratory and resident breeding phenotypes in a species of conservation concern, the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea). Our analyses reveal a dichotomy in gene flow depending on whether the population is resident or migratory, with the …