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Lesson Plans In Astronomy, Ecology And Biology, Admin Stem For Success

STEM for Success Showcase

This document contains various lesson plan ideas for concepts within the fields of biology, ecology, astronomy, and geology.

Utilizing Markov Chains To Estimate Allele Progression Through Generations, Ronit Gandhi

Honors Theses

All populations display patterns in allele frequencies over time. Some alleles cease to exist, while some grow to become the norm. These frequencies can shift or stay constant based on the conditions the population lives in. If in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the allele frequencies stay constant. Most populations, however, have bias from environmental factors, sexual preferences, other organisms, etc. We propose a stochastic Markov chain model to study allele progression across generations. In such a model, the allele frequencies in the next generation depend only on the frequencies in the current one.

We use this model to track a recessive allele …

The Understanding Of Mycorrhizae Networks: A Historical Approach, Jake Sun

The Confluence

The growth of mycorrhizal fungi into plant roots used to be viewed as a parasitic relationship between plants and fungi, where the fungal symbiont benefits and the plant host is harmed. Current research elucidates a mutualistic relationship. The mycorrhizae network assists the plants by increasing the capabilities for nutrient absorption in the soil. In exchange, the fungi receive carbon supply from the photosynthetic plants for growth. Our scientific understanding of other topics like species specificity, seed germination, and co-evolutionary influence of mycorrhizae and plants has also progressed. Additionally, we now understand that the mycorrhizal mutualism is not limited to the …

S3e8: What’S So Cool About Cold-Water Corals?, Ron Lisnet, Rhian Waller

The Maine Question

When people think of coral reefs, they might imagine snorkeling in warm Caribbean waters. But corals also live in the Gulf of Maine and in some of the most extreme environments on Earth, including the Arctic and Antarctic.

Rhian Waller, associate professor of marine sciences and a National Geographic Explorer, dives deep in near-freezing water around the world to learn about what she calls the rainforests of the ocean. She examines how climate change, fishing and oil exploration affect their ecology and reproduction. And she studies the effects that their altered life cycle might have on the marine ecosystem and …

White Sharks As A Novel Threat To Sea Otter Populations In California, Kimberly S. Schmutz

Scientific Communication News

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2020, Winter, Alex Meacham, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2019, Fall, Emily Dietzel, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Traffic Noise And Sexual Selection: Studies Of Anthropogenic Impact On Bird Songs And Undergraduate Student Reasoning Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Sarah Spier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Humans have transformed much of the natural landscape and are continuing to do so at an accelerated rate, compromising natural areas that serve as important habitat for many species. Roads impact much of the environment as they fragment habitat and introduce traffic noise into the acoustic environment, deferentially affecting wildlife in roadside habitat. I explored how traffic noise affects the detection of birds based on whether their vocalizations were masked by traffic noise. Masked species detection was not affected by an increase in traffic noise amplitude, while there was a negative effect of traffic noise amplitude on unmasked species detection, …

Traffic Noise And Sexual Selection: Studies Of Anthropogenic Impact On Bird Songs And Undergraduate Student Reasoning Of Evolutionary Mechanisms, Sarah Spier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Humans have transformed much of the natural landscape and are continuing to do so at an accelerated rate, compromising natural areas that serve as important habitat for many species. Roads impact much of the environment as they fragment habitat and introduce traffic noise into the acoustic environment, deferentially affecting wildlife in roadside habitat. I explored how traffic noise affects the detection of birds based on whether their vocalizations were masked by traffic noise. Masked species detection was not affected by an increase in traffic noise amplitude, while there was a negative effect of traffic noise amplitude on unmasked species detection, …

The Planet, 2019, Spring, Emily Dietzel, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2019, Winter, Emily Stout, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2018, Fall, Emily Stout, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2018, Spring, Keiko Betcher, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2018, Winter, Keiko Betcher, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2017, Fall, Keiko Betcher, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2017, Spring, Frederica Kolwey, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2017, Winter, Jesse Nichols, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Weights And Balances: Integrating Models For Prevention And Response To Southern California Offshore Oil Spills, Carmen Watts Clayton, Amoret Bunn

STAR Program Research Presentations

Licensing offshore oil and gas reserves in the United States waters are overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Enforcement (BSEE). The licensing application includes planning for any worst-case oil spill scenario between BSEE and the applicant based on lessons learned from historic offshore spills such as the Deepwater Horizon (2010), Exxon Valdez (1989), and the Union Oil Platform Blowout (1969). The process for planning to respond to oil spills involves coordination with multiple agencies, trustees, and stakeholders to ensure that oil spill responses consider multiple factors, including ecologically sensitive species, commercial transportation and fisheries, …

The Planet, 2016, Fall, Jesse Nichols, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2016, Spring, Jesse Nichols, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2016, Winter, Yvonne Worden, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2015, Fall, Yvonne Worden, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Fall 2015

Scientia

Prairie prep; Chicago Wildsounds listens for ecosystem health; Up, up and away; Fulbright Travelogue: Health care in Fortaleza, Brazil; New course explores the Pope's encyclical on the environment; A "scent-sational" career in the flavor and fragrance industry; Lab notes; Paying tribute

The Planet, 2015, Spring, Beth Carlson, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2015, Winter, Beth Carlson, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2014, Fall, Christopher Zemp, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2014, Spring, Mikey Jane Moran, Sarah Mikkelborg, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2014, Winter, Mikey Jane Moran, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2013, Fall, Mikey Jane Moran, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

The Planet, 2013, Spring, James Rogers, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.