Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Carbon-Storing Trees And Particulate Matter Reduction In Los Angeles, California, Tanyi Obenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Air pollution is a major concern in heavily populated cities such as Los-Angeles, California. Particulate Matter (PM) pollution in Hispanic and Black American neighborhoods in Los Angeles tends to be higher than adjacent non-minority areas. Research has indicated that certain carbon-storing trees can be used to reduce PM pollution. The purpose of this qualitative, interview research project was to determine the feasibility of using carbon-storing trees to reduce PM pollution in Hispanic and Black American neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Using an ecological theoretical framework, 10 subject matter experts were interviewed about their knowledge of carbon-storing properties and the feasibility of …

Spatial Modelling And Wildlife Health Surveillance: A Case Study Of White Nose Syndrome In Ontario, Lauren Yee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Wildlife data is often limited by survey effort, small sample sizes, and spatial biases associated with collection and missing data. These factors can create unique challenges from a surveillance perspective when trying to extract spatial patterns of habitat suitability and disease distributions for conservation and management purposes. This thesis examined data quality from a wildlife health database in the context of spatial analysis of wildlife disease. Spatial analysis of the data to predict habitat suitability of bats and white nose syndrome afflicted bats was examined by using the MaxEnt modelling method. Methods to reduce spatial bias were examined and specific …

A Framework For Linking Population Model Development With Ecological Risk Assessment Objectives, Sandy Raimondo, Matthew Etterson, Nathan Pollesch, Kristina Garber, Andrew Kanarek, Wade Lehmann, Jill Awkerman

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The value of models that link organism-level impacts to the responses of a population in ecological risk assessments (ERAs) has been demonstrated extensively over the past few decades. There is little debate about the utility of these models to translate multiple organism-level endpoints into a holistic interpretation of effect to the population; however, there continues to be a struggle for actual application of these models as a common practice in ERA. Although general frameworks for developing models for ERA have been proposed, there is limited guidance on when models should be used, in what form, and how to interpret model …

Use Of An Alternative Natural Weed Suppressant: Effects Of Parboiled Rice Hull Mulch On The Growth Of Container Weeds, Amy R. Fields-Taylor, Vanessa Slinger-Friedman

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Chattahoochee Nature Center (CNC) is one of the leading educational centers in Georgia about the ecology of the Chattahoochee River. Due to lack of man power, keeping down the weeds in the CNC plant nursery is one of those tasks that often gets left undone. The nursery becomes overgrown with invasive weed species. Understandably, they must sometimes resort to the use of herbicides, such as Roundup®, to keep the hundreds of native and endangered species of plants housed at CNC from being choked out by invasive weeds. This study tests the ability to suppress weed growth by use of …

2017 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section A), Trevor Nyeholt, Francis Kapesa, Justin Thalmayer, Erik Karlson, Kyle Van Veen, Kirk Brink, Steven Tarske, Brent Homan, Nathan De Haan, Paul Bootsma, Megan Anders, Philip Holmes, Melanie Fox, Noah Pirrotta, Abigail Berkompas, Ben Wellman, Halley Press, Christopher Greaves, Josh Templeman, Tim Bosch, Jake Zandstra, Hendrik Vermeulen

ENGR 333

Calvin College currently spends $836,000 annually on natural gas consumption. The engineering 333-A class was tasked with the question, "What would it take for Calvin College to save $75,000 per year on natural gas costs". The class was split into five groups (Boilers, Dorms and Dining Hall, Academic Buildings, Finance, and PE Complex) to research possible areas of savings. Through the class' research, it was determined that Calvin College has the potential savings of $87,000 a year through the reduction of natural gas usage.

2017 Fall Engr333 Project Final Report (Section B), Eric Ball, Mitchell Debruin, Raymond Kolocek, Edwin Kpodzro, Jacob Vandekieft, Nate Anderson, Brennan Steenhoek, Darbi Meyer, Derek Vermerris, Jessica Bouma, Devon Loerop, Reuben Saarloos, Richmond Amoh, Matthew Boelens, Tyson Butler, Laura Van Winkle, Alex Keizer, Kwame Ohemeng, Cameron Richman, Julie Van De Riet

ENGR 333

Currently, Calvin College spends $2.8M on electricity and natural gas. In the recent past Calvin has alleviated some of these costs by running a cogeneration system that combusts fuel and produces electricity and heat, this old system has since been removed due to age. With the old system removed Calvin is fully reliant on grid, leading to increased electricity cost. In addition to saving Calvin money, President Leroy formally signed the President’s Carbon Commitment that announced Calvin’s intent to be Carbon neutral by 2057. To meet both the cost and emissions saving needs, the objective of the energy savings project …

Testing The Underlying Chemical Principles Of The Biotic Ligand Model (Blm) To Marine Copper Systems: Measuring Copper Speciation Using Fluorescence Quenching, Tara N. Tait, James C. Mcgeer, Scott Smith

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Speciation of copper in marine systems strongly influences the ability of copper to cause toxicity. Natural organic matter (NOM) contains many binding sites which provides a protective effect on copper toxicity. The purpose of this study was to characterize copper binding with NOM using fluorescence quenching techniques. Fluorescence quenching of NOM with copper was performed on nine sea water samples. The resulting stability con- stants and binding capacities were consistent with literature values of marine NOM, show- ing strong binding with log K values from 7.64 to 10.2 and binding capacities ranging from 15 to 3110 nmole mg C ^{−1 …}

Remediation Strategies For Mercury Contaminated Lakes And Reservoirs Within The State Of California, Emily Chortek

Master's Projects and Capstones

Mercury is an environmental and public health concern due to its neurodegenerative effects and ubiquitous concentration within the environment. To mitigate these risks and reduce concentrations within the environment, remediation methods are necessary. The purpose of this paper is to investigate and evaluate the efficacy of a number of remediation options for mercury contaminated lakes and reservoirs in the State of California. This paper also identifies a number of challenges associated with the implementation of each method and provides recommendations for environmental managers to use when remediating mercury contaminated lakes. Hypolimnetic oxygenation (HOS) was found to be the least problematic …

Hazmat Storage Near Nyc Waterways Endangers Communities, Brett E. Dahlberg, Nicole Acevedo

Capstones

New York City has 520 miles of shoreline--that’s more than Miami and Los Angeles combined. These waterfronts are home to some of the city’s most polluted sites because major part of it is zoned for industrial use. Dozens of industrial plants in this area store toxic chemicals in flood zones: substances that are hazardous to our health, like Benzene, which is used in rocket fuel, toluene, a paint thinner, and lead a neurotoxin. In a flood, these chemicals can easily get caught up in moving waters and pollute entire neighborhoods.

That’s exactly what happened when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012. …

Biodiversity Of Larval And Adult Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata) Of Interdunal Wetlands At Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, Devon Volz

Honors Theses

The effects of climate change on insects in the United States have yet to be fully understood. Research on the insect populations of Lake Michigan’s interdunal wetlands has been particularly limited. As these vibrant habitats are already at risk of destruction due to increased development, it is vital to have a working knowledge of the species that are living in the habitat. However, to date, there have been no studies on assemblages of interdunal wetlands in Michigan. Examining community compositions is critical to understanding the ecological problems that could occur in the future. This study is the first to look …

2017 Fall Engr333 Seminar Preservation, Trevor Nyeholt, Erik Karlson, Cam Richman, Tyson Butler

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Fall 2017 class of ENGR333.

2017 Fall Engr333 Poster (Section B), Eric Ball, Mitchell Debruin, Raymond Kolocek, Edwin Kpodzro, Jacob Vandekieft, Nate Anderson, Brennan Steenhoek, Darbi Meyer, Derek Vermerris, Jessica Bouma, Devon Loerop, Reuben Saarloos, Richard Amoh, Matthew Boelens, Tyson Butler, Laura Van Winkle, Alex Keizer, Kwame Ohemeng, Cameron Richman, Julie Van De Riet

ENGR 333

Previously, Calvin College had a cogeneration system with the purpose of generating electricity and heat, through the combustion of natural gas, for Calvin’s campus. The original co-gen system was removed in 2017 due to high costs associated with maintenance and operations. Without a co-gen system, Calvin College is fully dependent on the grid. To save money and help in the President’s Carbon Commitment, PCC, the mechanical engineering students of ENGR 333 (section B) propose the implementation of a new co-gen system.

2017 Fall Engr333 Poster (Section A), Trevor Nyeholt, Francis Kapesa, Justin Thalmayer, Erik Karlson, Kyle Van Veen, Kirk Brink, Steven Tarske, Brent Homan, Nathan De Haan, Paul Bootsma, Megan Anders, Philip Holmes, Melanie Fox, Noah Pirrotta, Abigail Berkompas, Ben Wellman, Halley Press, Christopher Greaves, Josh Templeman, Tim Bosch, Jake Zandstra, Hendrik Vermeulen

ENGR 333

Calvin College uses 161,000 MMBTU of natural gas per year, which correlates to $836,000 of annual expenses. However Calvin could save as much as $240,000 on natural gas if they were as efficient as the top performer in an energy audit of similar colleges and universities in the Midwest, conducted by Sightlines Institute. The goal of this project was to see what actions could be taken to save the college $75,000 in annual natural gas costs.

Ella Savesthe Beach, Leena Aly, Maddie Hodgdon

Environmental Studies Student Projects

The intention of this project is to start educating children on the consequences of polluting our planet with seemingly harmless waste such as plastics. Many do not realize how small plastic objects can be fatal to many animals. We asked elementary school children to collect trash as part of their participation. Then the trash was used to make a poster featuring Ella the crab. This poster is paired with a children’s story book, where Ella and her animal friends are featured dealing with the consequences of littering. The story book depicts how people’s behavior in natural areas can harm innocent …

Colin The Cormorant, Chelsey Jankauskas, Samantha Schultz

Environmental Studies Student Projects

Colin the Cormorant was an art project created to represent the effects of pollution on local organisms, such as Colin the Cormorant. We hope by seeing this sculpture people think twice about how they dispose of their trash. Colin is made from trash collected at Fortunes Rocks Beach in Biddeford Pool. We chose to make a cormorant because we frequently see cormorants around the Biddeford Pool area and they are a seabird that has been impacted by various types of pollution (garbage, air pollution, etc.).

Baby Bay And The Big, Loud Ocean, Kelcey Salois, Dominique Mellone

Environmental Studies Student Projects

This is a children's book that depicts some of the serious effects of noise pollution on marine organisms, especially larger mammals such as Baleen Whales. Through this little story about a baby whale and his mom, trying to find the rest of their pod amidst an ocean filled with noise pollution, we hope to spread awareness about this problem and provide hope to younger generations that if we work hard enough at protecting our oceans, we can provide a much nicer and safer life for the creatures that live within it.

An Investigation Of Biological Carbon Sequestration At The Pea Ridge National Military Park, Dorine Reed Bower

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The direct correlation between increasing levels of atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures is now irrefutable. A 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 levels from a pre-industrial level of 270 ppm to a present-day level of 405 ppm, has resulted in documented record temperatures and a concomitant rising of sea levels from melting ice caps.

The ability of biological/terrestrial ecological systems to store atmospheric carbon is a viable option in the effort to mitigate the climate impacts of rising anthropogenically-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Components of the vegetation and soils in the Pea Ridge National Military Park (the Park) were examined for carbon …

Eco-Justice Reformation: Re-Imagining Ecumenical Witness In The Context Of Climate Injustice, George Zachariah

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Esmerelda's 1600 Feathers, Corinne Casey, Ellen Wise, Kendall Ericksen

Environmental Studies Student Projects

ESA’s 1,600 Feathers is a children’s story that was created in response to a Congress letter from August 2017 addressed to several members of the Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture. This letter requested for the 1973 Endangered Species Act to be “modernized” in order to reduce the economic burdens it imposed on farmers and ranchers. They argued the existing ESA was a “clear failure” having only accomplished recovery and delisting of 42 out of the 1,652 plant and animal species under its protection. The intentions of our story were to highlight the endangered and threatened species that have successfully …

Saving Santa's Workshop, Chase Kaupin, Elise Grabowski

Environmental Studies Student Projects

Our book is a story about an elf encouraging children to go eco-friendly in order to help the environment. Santa delivers gifts such as a reusable water bottle to get children involved. By helping the environment, Santa's workshop is going to be saved from melting ice caps! The goal of this book was to get children involved to help the environment.