2006 Environmental Science Colloquium

Wednesdays, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Boyd Science Center Room 001

**Students, Faculty, Staff and the Public are all welcome **

September 13, 2006

STOMP -- Student Leadership, Teacher Professional Development, and Technology Integration K-12

William Church, Physics, Physical Science, and Robotics Teacher; Littleton, NH

The Student Teacher Outreach Mentor Program (STOMP) is a program now in its second year in a select group of NH primary and secondary schools. STOMP focuses on three areas - student leadership, teacher professional development, and technology integration.Well trained and energetic high school students serve as mentors for primary teachers in the area of math and science technology.The STOMP mentors spend time in primary grade classrooms supporting teachers who want to use technology tools in their curricula.Examples of the technologies are LEGO Robotics, computer probeware, and animated movie making.STOMP mentors work as colleagues with the teacher helping them implement published projects or helping them to invent new uses of the technology during math and science lessons. With the support of the high school students, teachers take risks, learn new skills, and apply them beyond their involvement with STOMP. Additionally, students perform the role of educator, teacher colleague and workshop presenter at state and regional conferences.New relationships have formed between high school teachers, primary school teachers, parents, administrators, and students from grade three through grade twelve. STOMP has created within our system the expertise necessary to grow and give our teachers and students exceptional learning opportunities.

William Church received his BS in Physics from Binghamton University and MAT from Cornell.He has taught in Dover, NH and currently teaches Physics, Physical Science, and Robotics in Littleton, NH.Bill's work on STOMP was supported by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical program, Tufts Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, the Lemelson-MIT program, SAU 35, and North Country Educational Services.

September 20, 2006

Groundwater Flow into the Non-Litterial Zone of a Glaciated Lake – a Pilot Study in Squam Lake, NH  

Tom Shevenell & Mike Prentice, Center for the Environment, Plymouth State University

This pilot study is to test the hypothesis that the deep area off Deephaven in Squam Lake is an area where bedrock groundwater discharges into the deep area of the lake, and as a result, this area has significantly different lake water quality characteristics and possibly a unique biological community. Groundwater recharge areas within a lake watershed not directly connected with the lake, from a ground surface perspective, may be important recharge areas supporting unique lake ecosystems. Therefore, understanding the linkages between recharge areas within the lake watershed and unique ecosystems within the lake environment can form a scientific basis for identifying and preserving natural habitats within the lake watershed. Initial findings will be presented from bathymetric surveys, water quality sampling in the lake and watershed, a ground penetrating radar survey, and deep dives to sample bottom sediments and probe sediment thicknesses.

Tom Shevenell is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Center for the Environment, Plymouth State University.  Tom received his BA in Geology from the University of New Hampshire in 1970, and his Masters in Marine Geology from Columbia University in 1974.  He received his Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of New Hampshire in 1986.  Tom’s professional career was in the environmental consulting industry.  He was one of the founders of SHEVENELL~GALLEN and Associates, Inc., an environmental consulting firm specializing in hydrogeological investigations and petroleum remediation, and Analytics Environmental Laboratory, Inc., an environmental lab specializing in organic analyses.

Mike Prentice is a Research Associate Professor with the Center for the Environment and Meteorology Department at Plymouth State University. He received the Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from Brown University in 1988, M.S. from the University of Maine, and B.A. from Princeton University. Prior to joining PSU, he was an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences and Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire. He studies global and regional climate change on timescales of days to millions of years using instrumental weather records and natural archives from lakes, glaciers, and the ocean.His work has principally been across New Guinea, Antarctica, and New England.

September 27, 2006

Road Weather Information Systems in New Hampshire

Brendon Hoch, Technology Manager, Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute, Plymouth State University

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and the Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute (JGMI) of Plymouth State University (PSU) are collaborating on the deployment of a network Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS). The initial deployment places 11 stations across the state of New Hampshire along interstate and state highways, with site selection performed in coordination with NHDOT Maintenance District Engineers in order to maximize the impact of data during the pavement maintenance decision process. Each RWIS station houses a suite of meteorological instruments designed to determine current temperature, moisture, and wind conditions. Sensors embedded in the road surface near each station provide data regarding pavement temperature and detect melt chemicals applied to the surface. Additionally, ozone sensors manufactured by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) provide additional data to enhance air quality monitoring throughout the state. The system allows NHDOT personnel to access RWIS data via the web along with real time pavement forecasts and also transfer of data to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and JGMI/PSU where it will be used by faculty and graduate students to develop and enhance forecasts for the state

Brendon Hoch is the technology manager for the Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute where he is the chief systems administrator for servers and workstations and manages a wide variety of observational equipment and multimedia technology. In addition, Brendon teaches several classes, ranging from introductory scientific inquiry (Weather) to graduate level course work in meteorological software applications. Prior to arriving at Plymouth State, Brendon served as a systems analyst with the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. In addition, he served for four years as an adjunct professor of meteorology at Bergen Community College, (Paramus, N.J.), and has also worked as a consultant. Brendon earned a B.S in earth and atmospheric sciences from Rutgers University and an M.S. in atmospheric sciences from Ohio State University.

October 11, 2006

Resources, Rights, and Reparations: Multilateral Development Bank Projectsand the Mayans of Guatemala

Sheryl Shirley, Associate Professor of Political Science, Plymouth State University

Advocates of two projects based in Guatemala, a large hydroelectric dam initiated during the 1970s and an open-pit gold mine that began operating in 2005, alleged that each project would aid development and at the same time protect the rights of the local Mayan populations. Comparative analysis of Multilateral Development Bank lending for Guatemala’s Chixoy dam project and the San Marcos gold mine reveals the lending institutions’ continuing disregard for the rights of the Mayan communities.

Sheryl L. Shirley is associate professor of Political Science at Plymouth State University where she teaches courses in International Relations, Latin American Politics, and Women's Studies. Sheryl received her doctorate (1997) and master's (1989) degrees from the Department of Government at the University of Texas and has published in the International Journal on World Peace and the National Women's Studies Association Journal. She has conducted field research in Central America, led student delegations to Nicaragua, and worked with various Central American solidarity organizations.

October 18, 2006

Grants: The who, what, when, where, how and why of proposals for research and projects.

Susan Amburg, Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs, Plymouth State University

Grants and contracts are a major source of university funding for research, instruction and outreach.  Join us for a discussion on how to seek external funding, including where to look for funding, how to apply, and how to administer grant awards.  Discussion will also include strategies to improve the likelihood of grant success. 

Susan M. Amburg is Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs where she oversees Plymouth State University’s efforts to obtain external grant and contract funding for research, instruction and outreach projects. Susan has served in similar capacities for a variety of non-profits including SAU 48, the American Red Cross, and the National Women’s Political Caucus.  She has also served as an advisor to the New Jersey State Senate, the New Jersey Democratic Party and as Deputy Associate Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel in the Clinton White House. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Williams College in 1988.

October 25, 2006

Loon Monitoring and Research in NH, and the Curious Case of Squam Lake

Harry Vogel, Executive Director, Loon Preservation Committee

Loons are a scientifically and socioeconomically important species, and a state-threatened species in New Hampshire.  The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) has monitored loons in New Hampshire since 1976 and houses a long-term dataset of loon populations and productivity that is unequalled anywhere in the world.  LPC also manages loon populations to mitigate negative anthropogenic impacts to loons.  Will its work be enough?  LPC is currently developing a loon recovery plan to set targets for loon abundance, reproductive success and survival, and to implement management to achieve these targets.  The dramatic loon population decline on Squam Lake illustrates the complexities of dealing with multiple stressors to determine the forces acting on loons, and of working to maintain a viable state-wide loon population.

Harry Vogel has been studying loons for 17 years, first as the Project Biologist for the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey of Bird Studies Canada, then as Executive Director of the Loon Preservation Committee.  He is a past trustee and vice-Chair of the North American Loon Fund and co-Chair of the Northeast Loon Study Working Group, a collaboration of not-for-profit, industry and governmental researchers from throughout New England and Eastern Canada created to assess challenges facing loons and research needs in the northeast.

November 8, 2006

Is Forest Soil Calcium Depletion Real?

Scott Bailey, Research Geoecologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Some long-standing controversies about the effects of acid deposition on forest soils in the eastern United States remain after decades of research. Watershed mass balance studies, such as those conducted at Hubbard Brook and Cone Pond, New Hampshire, suggest that calcium is the nutrient most likely to be depleted by leaching induced by acid deposition. Long term monitoring shows that inputs of calcium via atmospheric precipitation and mineral weathering are low compared with hydrologic outputs. Existence of depletion is also supported by cation exchange theory as well as laboratory and watershed manipulation experiments. However, direct evidence of base cation depletion in forest soils is rare, suggesting the need for enhanced monitoring of the critical soil resource.

Dr. Bailey’s research focuses on interactions between geology, soils, and ecosystems. Current projects range in location from the Allegheny Plateau in Pennsylvania to the Chic-Choc Mountains in Quebec, with a special emphasis on the nearby Hubbard Brook, Cone Pond, and Sleepers River Research Watersheds. Applications include forest nutrient cycling, response of ecosystems to disturbance, and the structure and function of vegetative communities.

November 15, 2006

Sea Breezes

Sam Miller, Meteorology Program, Plymouth State University

This research examined the continental and regional-scale environments conducive to the formation of sea breezes, as well as the spatial and temporal evolution of sea-breeze circulations, gravity currents, and fronts along the central New England coast.  The meso-α (200 – 2000 km) sea-breeze forcing in the study area was defined as a combination of the cross-shore potential temperature gradient (θ/x) that may drive sea breezes inland, and the cross-shore geostrophic wind component (u_G) that may resist the landward movement of sea breezes.  It was found that the peak values and temporal evolution of the meso-α forcing were dependent on the locations and relative dominance of synoptic-scale surface pressure systems in the eastern United States.  These conclusions can often be used to accurately predict sea-breeze events, and their time of onset, using surface observations recorded in the early morning.  The forecasting technique is adaptable to any coastal location in the world.  Meso-β (20 – 200 km) horizontal variations in the sea-breeze circulation, gravity current, and front were compared to θ/x and the cross-shore wind component at 925 hPa (u₉₂₅) in the study area.  The latter was substituted for u_G because it also accounts for the synoptic-scale temperature gradient between the surface and 925 hPa via the thermal wind relation.  Near-surface potential temperature (isentropic) fields were used to examine the sea-breeze gravity current, and the wind (kinematic) fields were used to examine the sea-breeze circulation.  Isentropic gradient fields were used to examine the thermodynamic sea-breeze front, and convergence fields were used to examine the kinematic sea-breeze front.  It was found that the most developed pattern the sea-breeze gravity current achieved, the time of the sea-breeze circulation's first contact with the coast and its most advanced inland distance, and the peak meso-β strength of the sea-breeze frontal components were all functions of the meso-α forcing.

Sam Miller is assistant professor of meteorology at Plymouth State University’s Judd Gregg Meteorology Institute, where he teaches graduate courses in satellite and radar meteorology, and undergraduate courses in meteorological analysis, current weather, weather forecasting for radio, and weather for non-majors.  Sam received his is Ph.D. (2003) and M.Sc. (1999) in Earth Sciences, and B.Sc. in Physics (1996) from the University of New Hampshire.  Sam is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force’s weather forecasting (1984) and weather observing schools in Rantoul, Illinois.  He has worked as a weather forecaster in Alaska, California, upstate New York, northern Maine, and southeastern Turkiye.  Sam has completed research into air-sea interaction in the Gulf of Maine, the sea breeze of coastal New Hampshire and Maine, strong northeasterly winds in the Gulf of Maine, and freezing rain in southwest Alaska.  He has published papers in Weather and Forecasting (AMS) and Reviews of Geophysics (AGU).

November 29, 2006

Avalanches and Avalanche Forecasting in the White Mountain National Forest

Chris Joosen, Lead Snow Ranger & Director of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, White Mountain National Forest

Avalanches are common occurrences in mountain environments receiving winter snowfall. Predicting and forecasting avalanches is a blend of art and science that involves knowledge and information of the "avalanche triangle." This 3 point system focuses on the past, current and future weather combined with the terrain it impacts, and the physics and behavior of the snowpack already on the ground. The White Mountain National Forest has been forecasting avalanches on Mount Washington and the surrounding environs since the 1950s. The process used in creating these forecasts, unique aspects of New Hampshire avalanches and White Mountain National Forest avalanche program will be discussed.

Christopher Joosen is the Lead Snow Ranger for the White Mountain National Forest and Director of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center. Chris has extensive training and experience in avalanche forecasting, both in the White Mountains and other parts of the United States. For 12 years, he has been forecasting avalanches for the USDA Forest Service. He spends the winter and spring on Mount Washington and has extensive first hand knowledge of Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines. Previously, he worked as the Appalachian Mountain Club's Tuckerman Manager living at the base of Ravine for 4 years. Chris has a degree in Government and Public Policy from Eastern Connecticut State University and has had his nose in the snow ever since.