Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Testing Of Accelerated Pozzolanic Activity Of Fly Ash, Anne Oberlink, Tom Robl, Bob Jewell, Haley Johnson

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The determination of the pozzolanic reaction in fly ash by ASTM strength activity index has been shown to be problematic, frequently producing false positives. The use of Wenner probe resistivity has been demonstrated to be rapid, simple and non-destructive method, producing no false positives. However, using this method and confirming it with other techniques finds that the reaction itself is slow with a dilatancy of 28 days or more before the measurements become discriminatory, a major drawback to this method. This study used high-temperature, high humidity curing of OPC-based mortars with various fly ash sources to determine how pozzolanic activity …

Vulnerability Of Bass Populations To Our Changing Climate In The Mississippi River, Cameron Schreifels

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Climate change is altering habitats and damaging bass populations throughout the Mississippi. The main factors of climate change affecting bass are shifts in water quality and significant weather events, which have increased bass vulnerability. With rising temperatures and eutrophication changing the way these bass hunt for their prey, it has made it easier for other non-native species to encroach on their habitat, which has led to bass further encroaching on other species due to climate change.  Given their economic importance and cultural significance, better management practices are needed to find new ways to protect them and ensure they remain a …

Aquatic Invasive Species Control: Minnesota’S Herbicide Problem, Adam Novak

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Minnesota lakes have an invasive species problem: invasives are outcompeting our native plants and causing ecological degradation. Herbicides are used in Minnesota to help alleviate the stress that invasive plants put on the ecosystem, but continued use of herbicides has its own environmental downside. An analysis of five common aquatic herbicides including, diquat, endothall, 2,4-D, fluridone, and copper-based solutions was completed to find specific ecological downsides. Sediment degradation, effects on various fish life stages, zooplankton, and other non-target organisms were analyzed. This study offers alternative managements strategies and presents a decision tree to help lake associations manage invasive plants.

Use Of Basal Tree Cavities By Sylvilagus Aquaticus In Central Arkansas, Heath R. Williams

ATU Scholars Symposium

Basal tree cavities are hollow structures at the base of tree trunks utilized by many wildlife species, including small mammals, furbearers, and bats. Dumyahn and Zollner (2010) demonstrated that swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) use basal tree cavities and speculated that they may be used for thermoregulation at the northern limits of their geographic range or as alternative escape routes. To further investigate swamp rabbit use of basal tree cavities, we placed camera traps approximately 1 m from the entrance of the cavities (n = 43) in various Wildlife Management Areas in central Arkansas. Along with control sites without cavities (n=25), …

Analyzing A Benchtop Model Of Combined Heat Power To An Industrial Scale, Chase Steven Carlton, Ashley Leach, Andrew Martin-Biggs, Tessa Wilker

UNH URC Open (2026 and after)

Analyzing a Benchtop Model of Combined Heat Power to an Industrial Scale

Evaluating How New York City’S Recycling And Organic Waste Systems Reduce Resource Waste And Methane Emissions, Zihan Cao

Publications and Research

This study analyzes New York City’s waste management systems, with a focus on food waste diversion, composting, and renewable energy initiatives, to assess their role in methane emission reduction and resource efficiency. The analysis highlights the relative effectiveness of different waste management pathways and suggests that community-scale composting and decentralized anaerobic digestion are associated with substantial methane reductions relative to cost.

“Toward A World Where Many Worlds Fit”: Thinking-Feeling Our Way In The Pluriverse, Michael Burns

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Michael Burns, English, shares "Toward a 'World Where Many Worlds Fit': Thinking-Feeling Our Way into the Pluriverse" Recording shares the lecture portion. Following the lecture participants shared their thoughts with one another.

Heathy Aging In A Sustainable Manner, Karin Volkwein-Caplan

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Karin Volkwein-Caplan, Kinesiology, presents "Healthy Aging in a Sustainable Manner".

Diversity And Habitat Use Of Bats In Modified Suburban Landscapes, Brittany Morgera

Biology Presentations

Bats occupy critical ecological niches and perform important ecosystem services like controlling insect populations. However, humans have altered bat habitat substantially, resulting in the reduction of bat populations. The goals of this research are to assess bat diversity and habitat use across different levels of suburban habitat modification. To accomplish this, we deployed passive acoustic recorders at twelve locations with varying human impact in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. In accordance with The North American Bat Monitoring Program’s standards, acoustic analysis software was used to identify bat species. Manual identification methods from The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative were used to verify these …

Solar Parking, Glen Welch, K.C. Green, Catie Bean, Makenzie Keith, Connor Patterson

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Energy Efficient Dorms, Antonio Soares, Zachary Nassar, Aidan O'Neill

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Reducing Energy Consumption At Bryant University, Joey Madan, Jake Chernin, Brandon Kemp

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Dry Paths, Safe Steps, Andrew Gamper

Earth Day Symposium on Climate and Sustainablity

No abstract provided.

Depth Patterns Of Redear Sunfish Lepomis Microlophus In Kentucky Lake, Justin Graben

Scholars Week

Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus are a highly sought sportfish known for their size potential, but their ecological behavior in large reservoirs remain poorly understood. In this study, we looked at how Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus move vertically in Kentucky Lake. We used acoustic tags with depth sensors to measure the movement of Redear Sunfish both diurnally and seasonally within Kentucky Lake.

During the day, Redear Sunfish occupied significantly deeper waters compared to dawn, dusk, and night (p < 0.0001.). Many fish, including the species in the Lepomis genus, may have a preference for specific light levels for optimal foraging and predation avoidance, even if predation is not the primary concern at larger sizes. This daily pattern was consistent through most seasons, except on average the fish were deeper during the winter season (p < 0.0001).

Understanding the movement patterns of Redear Sunfish is essential for effective species management, especially as their popularity grows and they potentially compete with …

Brother Nature: Pursuing Zero-Waster At Casa Maria, Isaiah Charles, Giuliana Porzio Cuenca, Tatiana Flores, Isabella Lopez, Antonio Martinez, Kelly Sawyers

Presentations - 2025

This presentation focuses on evaluating waste production and management at Casa Maria, a Marianist community on campus, with the goal of establishing baseline data and offering sustainability recommendations grounded in the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Insights from this initiative aim to inform broader sustainability efforts across the university.

Fostering & Understanding Diversity Within The Ant Microbiome & Research Group, Manuela O. Ramalho

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Manu Ramalho of the Biology Department presents: Fostering and understanding diversity: within the ant microbiome and our research group.

Sustainable Synthesis Of Cellulose-Derived Carbon Materials, Abbie S. Ganas

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Abbie Ganas, Chemistry, presents "Sustainable Synthesis of Cellulose-Derived Carbon Materials".

Getting “Out In The Woods” With Students: Intergenerational Work Centering Learners As Creators Of Sustainable Futures, Kate Southerton-Castillo, Emily Southerton

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Kate Southerton-Castillo, student, M.S. in TESC, and Emily Southerton, Ph.D. Learning Sciences present on "Getting “Out in the Woods” with Students: Intergenerational Work Centering Learners as Creators of Sustainable Futures".

Using Walk Audits To Understand Neighborhood Environmental Problems, Megan Heckert, Randall Cream, Christina Rosan

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Megan Heckert, Geography and Planning, Dr. Randall Cream, English, and Dr. Tina Rosan, Temple University Geography, Environment, and Urban Studies, present "Using Walk Audits and Storytelling to Understand Neighborhood Environmental Problems".

Urban Sustainable Neighborhoods: Revitalization Of Sheppard Square Hope Vi In Louisville, Ky, Ramona Stone

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Ramona Stone, PhD, MPH, from West Chester University presents "Public Health Sciences Urban Sustainable Neighborhoods: HOPE VI Revitalization of Sheppard Square in Louisville, KY".

The Pennsylvania Wilds And The Rhetorical Construction Of Wilderness, Casey R. Schmitt

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Professor Casey R. Schmitt, Interdisciplinary Studies, presents "The Pennsylvania Wilds and the Rhetorical Construction of Wilderness".

Sustainable Aquaculture And Youth Membership, Stephen Hughes

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Dr. Steven Hughes of Cheyney University discusses Sustainable Aquaculture and Youth Mentorship

Voter Registration, Education, And The Connection To Sustainability, Office Of Sustainability, Shay Gillespie, Abigail Thomas

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Shay Gillespie, Associate Director, Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact, and Abigail Thomas, Sustainability Peer Educator, discuss voter registration, education, and its connections to sustainability. Included are also two PowerPoint presentations with supplementary data.

A Brighter Tomorrow With Darker Skies: Understanding The Consequences Of Excessive Light And Combating Light Pollution At West Chester University, Finn Schmidhuber

Sustainability Research & Practice Seminar Presentations

Finn Schmidhuber, Computer Science '25, presents on the importance of Dark Skies and limiting light pollution.

Environmental Factors Affecting Coleoptera Biomass In The Ozark Mountain Range In Arkansas, Hayley J. Springsteen

ATU Scholars Symposium

Abstract:

Terrestrial invertebrates including species of Coleoptera (beetles) play an important role in many ecosystem services including soil formation and fertility, pollination, decomposition and nutrient turnover, population regulation of other organisms through predation. Coleoptera are often vital in determining biodiversity and conservation techniques. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of how environmental factors and different management practices are affecting Coleoptera populations and further assist ecologists in improving management techniques in the future. The insect data in this study was collected over the course of two weeks in the Arkansas portion of the Boston Mountain range. …

Body Dimension And Length-Weigh Relationships Of Invasive Exotic Earthworm Species In Huron Mountains Forests, Paula Arroyo, Xiaoyong Chen, Timothy Gsell, John A. Yunger, Mary E. Carrington

Research Days

Invasive exotic earthworms have undesired ecological effects on structure, function, and biodiversity of forest ecosystems in the Great Lakes region. Biological parameters including body length, weight, growth rate, and regeneration patterns of earthworms are necessary to understand their life cycle and impacts on ecological processes such as nutrient biogeochemistry cycling and carbon sequestration in the forests, as well as for forest management practices. In this work, earthworms were surveyed in main forest types of the Huron Mountains Preserve of Michigan, Upper Peninsula during the period of May 2021 to October 2022. Earthworms were captured from established sampling quadrates using a …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Surveying Pollinator Gardens, Isabel Kolb, Kaitlyn Richards, Nolan Rokke

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2022

Poster titled Surveying Pollinator Gardens with client Lincoln Electric System.

Matt Talbot Kitchen Organization, Samantha Nielsen, Miqaela Davis, Olivia Clancy

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2022

Poster titled Matt Talbot Kitchen Organization for client Victoria O'Neil.

Nebraska Solid Waste Measurement, Juliana Amato, Alexi Caines, Alex Napolitano

Environmental Engagement in the Community (ENVR 319): Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, fall 2022

Poster titled Nebraska Solid Waste Measurement for client Douglas County (Nebraska) Environmental Services and the Nebraska Recycling Council.