Environmental Science and Sustainability

Allegheny senior Kristy Garcia rolled up her sleeves and dug right into the sandbox, piling up clean, white sand to form a mountain.

Senior David Olson joined in as well, using his fingers to dig a trench at the base of the mountain.

As they watched the colors change from deep reds and oranges to bright greens to blues, they braced themselves for the fun part – placing their hand over the camera overlooking the sandbox to “make it rain.”

“That is so cool!” the wide-eyed environmental science majors said in unison as virtual rain washed over the mountain and sloshed into the trench.

It’s a common reaction when someone first sees Allegheny’s newest piece of technology, the augmented reality (AR) sandbox, in the basement of Alden Hall.

The AR sandbox, which arrived at Allegheny in January, combines the playfulness of a child’s sandbox with advanced technology to create a learning tool that can be used by students of all ages. When students shape the sand, a Microsoft Kinect 3-D camera and a projector with powerful software detect the movement and display a three-dimensional topographic and colored elevation map in real time.

According to Sam Reese, lab technician for the geology and environmental science departments, unlike street maps, topographic maps display 3-D characteristics of an area using lines, called contours, to represent elevation above or below sea level. Using topographic maps, engineers know where best to build a road, scientists know where rainwater will flow after a storm and hikers know where a trail is steepest.

“By using this technology, students can actually see how a topographic map portrays a 3-D world. Sometimes people don’t grasp that concept on a flat 2-D map,” Reese says. “The beauty of the sandbox is the simplicity of the model, as it tells a very complicated story.”

Reese explains that the College acquired the materials to construct the sandbox through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Allegheny carpenters built the actual box, and Craig Newell Welding in Cambridge Springs, Pa., built the metal apparatus that holds the camera and software in place. Dave Wagner, network and systems administrator in computer science and information technology services, set up the operating system and installed the software.

The idea for the AR sandbox came from a group of Czech researchers who posted a YouTube video displaying an early prototype that included elevation maps and a basic form of fluid movement, Reese says. A team at the W.M. Keck Center for Active Visualization in the Earth Sciences (KeckCaves) at the University of California Davis then added the topographic contour lines and improved the simulated fluid flow to create the current prototype. UC Davis provides the blueprints to build the system as well as the necessary software free of charge on its website.

Reese estimates that only a couple dozen AR sandboxes exist, mainly at museums. “It’s so new. The day our sandbox went live – Jan. 21 – an article appeared in the New York Times about augmented reality,” he says. “It’s really cutting edge for Allegheny to have this.”

In addition to the geology and environmental science departments using the sandbox in labs and for independent research projects, the computer science and biology departments also plan to incorporate the technology into their class curricula.

College students won’t be the only ones digging in the sand. Creek Connections, a partnership between the College and K-12 schools that focuses on hands-on watershed education, plans to incorporate the AR sandbox in activities that explore topographic maps, watersheds and stream geology.

“People are used to street maps and Google maps that are very flat. But when we talk about watershed delineation and where rain will go, the concept becomes much easier when you can use a 3-D topographic map like this,” says Wendy Kedzierski, director of Creek Connections. “With the sandbox, you can see it as the sand builds up and the colors change. It makes the connection so much easier.”

Student Kristy Garcia, who works as a project assistant with Kedzierski and the Creek Connections program, agrees. “It’s definitely easier to understand topography when looking at the sandbox,” she says.

Kedzierski believes another benefit is that the sandbox will give students who prefer hands-on activities another opportunity for learning.

“The education that we provide in schools is a lot different from what they do every day in the classroom. Some of the children who have a hard time with traditional lecturing react differently when we do our Creek Connections activities,” Kedzierski says. “This is another tactile experience for those students.”

Reese believes that the AR sandbox is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to hands-on education.

“I believe virtual reality is going to augment the augmented reality,” he says. “It will be interesting to see how the AR software upgrades will add more bells and whistles to the sandbox over the next year or two.”

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

A chapter titled “Food Production as an Integrating Context for Campus Sustainability,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Environmental Science TJ Eatmon, Professor of Environmental Science Eric Pallant and Samantha Laurence ’14 has been published in the book Implementing Campus Greening Initiatives: Approaches, Methods, and Perspectives, edited by Walter Leal and published by Springer. The chapter considers food production as a whole-systems approach to achieving campus sustainability and provides a practical model for bringing together students, faculty, administrators, dining service personnel and local community members through teaching, research and community engagement efforts.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Global Health Studies Caryl Waggett and Susan Washko ’16 were recently recognized as “Campus Sustainability Champions” by the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium. Professor Waggett was praised as the long-time director of Healthy Homes, Healthy Children and for her related efforts linking environmental and human health. Susan was recognized for her endeavors as president of Edible Allegheny, through which she assisted with the DeHart Local Foods Dinner, helped to maintain the student garden and edible plantings, led student trips to local farms, and assisted local farmers.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Numerous students, staff and Environmental Science faculty members presented at the 2014 Annual Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium, “Engaging Sustainability,” held at Pennsylvania State University, State College. Presenters and their projects are:

Sarah Swartz ’15 and Geoffrey Bristow (PA Department of Environmental Protection): “Comparative Analysis of Solar Arrays in Northwest Pennsylvania”

Sadie Stuart ’15 and Professor of Environmental Science Rich Bowden: “Carbon Athletic Conference”

Susan Washko ’16: “Edible Allegheny Campus”

Kristen Locy ’18 and Yutong Wang ’17: “Sustainable Banquet: DeHart Local Foods Dinner”

Kevin Crooks ’15: “The Crawford County Vital Signs: A Secondary Data Analysis”

Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Beth Choate, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Brittany Davis, Jackie Verrecchia ’17, Breanna Whiting ’17, Darby Anderson ’17, Diana Armas ’17, Timothy Byan ’17, Kathryn Click ’16, Katarina D’Ercole ’17, Olivia Ensler ’17, Lawrenz Fares ’16, Hayden Moyer ’17, Jonathan Nigro ’17, Dede Nwokeafor-Laz ’17, Jack Ohrman ’17, Joshua Perez ’17, Jonathan Shick ’16 and Konrad Spartz ’16: “Tapping into Bottled Water: Bottled Water Use at Allegheny College”

Hillary Krill ’15 and Professor Beth Choate: “A Survey of Native Pollinators on Allegheny College Campus”

Laura Branby, Creek Connections Pittsburgh area educator/Creek Camp director, Project Director Wendy Kedzierski, Elliott Bartels ’15, Kristy Garcia ’15, David Olson ’15 and Kelcy Wagner ’15: “Creek Connections: Turning Waterways into Outdoor Classrooms”

In addition, Sadie Stuart ’15 and Associate Professor of Environmental Science TJ Eatmon were invited participants on the panel “Engaging Sustainability on the Campus.” Richard Bowden moderated the panel “Engaging Sustainability in the Community.”

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Like many college students his age, Allegheny senior Pasquale “Pat” DiFrancesco of Wexford, Pa., is looking forward to the final semester of his senior year.

But unlike his classmates, DiFrancesco will spend most of his last semester making daily trips to the state Capitol, in addition to completing his Allegheny schoolwork. After all, he has interviews with legislators to conduct and a piece of legislation to draft.

DiFrancesco will be participating in this experience as one of eight students awarded a Pennsylvania House Legislative fellowship for the spring semester. The highly competitive fellowship, which was founded in 1982, places students in leadership offices in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The 13-week program also provides fellows with access to weekly workshops with key thinkers, planners, and decision-makers.

“Pat is a great fit for a program like the PA Legislative Fellowship Program. He has a well-developed vision of how he wants to serve and is driven by a desire to make a real difference in people’s lives,” says Patrick Jackson, Allegheny national fellowships adviser and visiting assistant professor of history and religious studies. “It’s hard to imagine a better place to try to do that than in state government. Pat also is confident and impressively poised. And since political progress is so often made under intense pressure, I suspect that this will serve him well in Harrisburg.”

DiFrancesco, a double major in political science and environmental studies, will be working in the office of Democratic Whip Mike Hanna. Prior to winter break, we caught up with Pat to talk about this unique opportunity.

How did you learn about this fellowship?
For two summers I worked at the Fund for American Studies, an academic internship placement organization, in Washington, D.C. While working there, someone told me about the fellowship. So I really found out about it through networking.

My whole goal when I came to Allegheny and was accepted into the AmeriCorps Bonner Scholar program was to do my summer service away in Washington, D.C. I always figured that if I could get into a place like D.C., then there would be a way to go back again. I found that “in” through the Fund for American Studies. Then everything just built and built.

What did you have to do to apply for the fellowship?
I had to complete an application, submit letters of recommendation, and do an in-person interview in Harrisburg. During the application process, I worked with Professor Patrick Jackson. He was a big help.

How does it feel to be going to Harrisburg?
I’m excited for it. Once I get home, take a breath, and start to prepare, it will really sink in. I’ll really start to feel it.

This is where I wanted to be. I wanted to be in public service. I wanted to be in government. I’m not sure if public service is ultimately for me, but I think this experience will really hammer home on whether or not I want to do that.

What will you do during your fellowship?
Once you hear that you are accepted to the program, you have to be accepted to an office. It can be a committee or leadership office. I will be working for Rep. Mike Hanna. He’s the second-most powerful democrat in the House of Representatives, so it’s fantastic for me.

From what I understand, some of my tasks will be:
• In-office work
• Meeting with constituents
• Letters
• Policy analyses
• Keeping a journal
• Interviewing a representative or someone who is involved in the legislative process

The main thing I’ll get to do is draft my own piece of legislation. I’ll work with lawyers and meet different speakers and representatives. They will help us formulate an idea for what our bill will be and help us structure it at the end. Once we write that piece of legislation, we also will give a presentation on it in the House Caucus.

In addition, I hope to attend the incoming governor’s ceremony. I think it’s going to be a really fun time to be there because there’s so much going on with the switching of the administration.

You also will be completing schoolwork during this time, correct?
Yes, I’ll still be a registered Allegheny student working toward 12 credits. One of the classes I’m doing is an independent study with Assistant Professor of Political Science Zachary Callen. The study will be related to state legislature behavior, so Harrisburg will be a great place to reflect and apply the academic readings I’ll be doing. I’ll also have an internship with Environmental Science Internship Coordinator Steve Utz.

In addition, I’ll be finishing my senior comp, which is on the severance tax policy in Pennsylvania. I’m looking at the policy to see how it can best account for environmental impacts that are accrued by the drilling processes. Through the fellowship, I’ll have the opportunity to sit in and watch anything that pertains to that kind of legislation or that topic, so I’ll get to build that into the senior project.

What else have you done at Allegheny?
I feel like I have taken full advantage of what Allegheny offers. In addition to serving as a Bonner Scholar, I have served as treasurer of Allegheny Student Government, as a reporter for the Campus, as a project leader with the College’s Center for Political Participation, and as a student representative for the College’s Finance and Facilities Committee.

What do you plan to do in the future?
I hope to work for a year or two and then go on to graduate school.

Professor Jackson encourages any Allegheny student interested in a career in politics to seriously consider applying to the Pennsylvania House Legislative fellowship program. For more information, contact him at pjackson@allegheny.edu.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Several seniors in the Department of Environmental Science presented their research at the Regional Science Consortium’s Annual Symposium in Erie on November 7. Katherine Burgert presented her 2014 summer research conducted with Professor Casey Bradshaw-Wilson, titled “The Effects of Interspecific Competition on the Diets of Two Darter Species, Etheostoma zonale and E. blennioides, in Two Pennsylvania Streams.” Leah Rudge presented a speed talk highlighting the experimental research design and preliminary results from her senior comprehensive project titled “Effects of land management on terrestrial salamander communities in Crawford County PA.” Emily Hesch presented her senior comp, titled “Parasitic nematodes (Eustrongylides spp.) in Lake Erie’s Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens).” Her research was funded through a grant awarded by the Regional Science Consortium located at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in April 2014 to both Emily and Bradshaw-Wilson.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Karina Sarver often finds herself poking around people’s homes.

The Allegheny College junior could be collecting dust samples from the floor. Looking at electric outlets on the wall. Or asking whether adults in the home smoke, how many pets they keep and how often the family burns wood in its fireplace.

She’s not just being nosey. It’s part of her work-study job.

What started as an idea for a class project almost 11 years ago has evolved into an Allegheny student-operated, nonprofit agency that helps safeguard the health of children throughout northwest Pennsylvania.

The Healthy Homes – Healthy Children program began in 2007 under the direction of Dr. Caryl Waggett, associate professor of environmental science, as a way to test older homes for lead paint residue that could cause cognitive and behavioral problems in children.

Fast-forward seven years and you’ll find three students, led by Sarver, who is the program coordinator, managing a free, in-home survey program in Crawford County. The students look for airborne health risks and nutritional and safety issues, too.

More than 1,750 homes have been tested since the program’s inception. Its scope has expanded to include educational outreach extending into the Erie area. The students also have become a resource for the region’s medical and social-service professionals.

“Personalized home visits are one of a suite of tools that we use to help families address these issues,” says Waggett.

Healthy Homes-Healthy Children was designed to:

• provide targeted information to families and medical, educational, and social service providers;
• address perceptions and attitudes that may be counteracting healthy outcomes;
• support families hoping to make behavioral changes;
• research and work toward better understanding of the key factors impacting children’s health in northwest Pennsylvania.

As the program leader, Sarver schedules the in-home tests with parents, coordinates the lab processing (part of which is done at Carr Hall) and shares results with the homeowners.

“I came to Allegheny as a pre-med student, but since joining this program, I’ve found that I want to make more of an impact on community-based health, not so much just individuals,” says Sarver, a biology major with minors in English and history.

Sarver and fellow students Jillian Gallatin ’16 and Katelyn Nicewander ’15 conduct the hour-long, in-home surveys. They do some of the laboratory testing of airborne samples themselves and send other samples to a Michigan laboratory to determine if, and how serious, mold-borne issues may be in clients’ houses. Pollutants, especially lead from paint in many of the Meadville-area homes built before 1978, can negatively impact development in children.

Mold spores from damp rooms, allergens from pets, secondhand smoke from parents, naturally occurring radon infiltration and home-heating units that burn gas, oil and wood can exacerbate asthma and pose other health problems in children.

Through the efforts of these Allegheny students, parents, community organizations, and professionals throughout Crawford County are learning about potential health threats in their homes and receiving practical suggestions for remediation.

The Healthy Homes – Healthy Children team gets its referrals in a variety of ways, but the students work closely with agencies such as Meadville Head Start, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Early Intervention and the Children’s Health Network of the Meadville Medical Center. In addition to the home surveys, the students conduct seminars at local schools and social-service agencies. They might discuss how to clean a home efficiently to reduce allergens and dust, and also suggest ways that children can adopt healthier lifestyles through proper nutrition and exercising regularly. They also staff a booth for a week distributing healthy-lifestyle educational materials at the annual Crawford County Fair.

Lorie Darcangelo, the Meadville WIC director, considers the Healthy Homes—Healthy Children program “a blessing” for the region.

“It is a wonderful service to offer to our community,” says Darcangelo.  “At WIC, we appreciate being able to make this referral to our participants.  Many live in older homes that do contain lead-based paint.  With limited income, and many are renters, the practical information provided to them by Health Homes—Healthy Children is invaluable.  We, at WIC, also appreciate the information and training that this program has provided to our staff so we are better prepared to make those referrals.”

“It’s really given me a greater appreciation for early intervention in children, to teach them healthy habits,” says Sarver. “It’s helped me to connect to Meadville in a way I wouldn’t have otherwise. Right now, we’re reaching the people who are interested in changing their lifestyles, but there is a whole demographic that hasn’t reached that point.”

“Change is hard for all of us, and in many instances, families have so many financial and time pressures that it is hard to identify or prioritize key issues,” Waggett says.  “HHHC works with families and can link them to other services that help them focus on key issues.”

Sarver says it’s important to focus on healthy homes for children because:

• More than 80 percent of the buildings in Crawford County were built before 1978, the year that lead paint was banned.

• Children under age 6 are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning because their neurological systems are developing and they often put objects, like toys that have been exposed to lead-positive dust, in their mouths. High lead levels in children can cause irreversible cognitive deficits and both learning and behavioral challenges in the classroom.

• Levels of air pollution in the home can be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. This isn’t good for asthmatic children and can lead to respiratory ailments.

• The average home contains 60 chemical products that can taint the inside air.

Sarver suggests some ways to make a home more child-friendly:

• Vacuuming often with a device that includes a HEPA filter.

• Dusting furniture and window sills regularly with a damp cloth.

• Making sure electric outlets have safety guards on them.

• If possible, making sure carpeting in a child’s room is newer or cleaned regularly.

• Not allowing pets to sleep in bed with children.

• Keeping the home, especially basements, dry and well-ventilated. Run a dehumidifier. If you see mold on the walls, clean it immediately with diluted bleach or vinegar.

If you think you might have lead paint that can’t be immediately removed by a lead safety certified professional, it’s beneficial to give children in the home a calcium supplement, some health experts advise. As Sarver explains: “Lead fills in for calcium in the body. Lead is especially dangerous in the calcium-dependent synapses in the brain. In children who don’t have sufficient calcium in their diet, or who don’t have sufficient vitamin D which is necessary to absorb calcium, lead can be absorbed into places where calcium is normally needed in the body.  When lead replaces calcium in neurological system, it interrupts synaptic communication and induces symptoms of learning disabilities. Lead can also replace calcium in bones, so it is innately important to make sure young, growing bodies are getting enough calcium in their diets.  So, two children who both live in older homes with residual lead dust may absorb different levels of the lead, and have highly different outcomes.  These exposure differences and health disparities tend to fall along economic lines.  In regions like Meadville, where nearly 40 percent of our children are living in families under the poverty line, food insecurity is a common problem that can lead to more significant problems like increased susceptibility to lead poisoning.”

The Healthy Homes – Healthy Children program has brochures available for parents, educators and social-service representatives.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Sydney Bedford ’15, Jessica Stickel ’15, and Assistant Professor of Environmental Science TJ Eatmon presented a poster titled “Classroom Aquaponics: Measuring Outcomes of a 3-Year Service Learning Experience” at the 43rd Annual Conference of the North American Association for Environmental Education on October 11 in Ottawa, Canada. The presentation highlighted the results of a survey that measured the perceptions of sixth-grade teachers who were involved in the service learning portion of Eatmon’s environmental education course over a three-year period. The poster will also be presented at the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium’s fall conference in Harrisburg on November 12.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

GIS Manager and Instructor of Environmental Science Chris Shaffer gave a talk titled “Sustainable Forest Management Practices: Identification and Prioritization of Forest Landowners in NWPA for Targeted Outreach Campaign” at the 2014 Northwest Pennsylvania Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference at Clarion University of Pennsylvania on October 16. This conference showcases how GIS, GPS, and remote sensing are used by governments, professionals, and educators to transform spatial data into information used to support decision-making. Shaffer’s project for the Foundation for Sustainable Forests (FFSF) used GIS to identify landowners meeting specific criteria such as proximity to existing FFSF-managed land, protected lands, high-value ecosystems, Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA) forest blocks, the French Creek drainage basin, minimum size and overall shape of timber stands, and current place of residence. The analysis was conducted for Crawford, Erie, Venango, and Warren counties and has since been expanded to include Mercer County as part of a class research project in Shaffer’s ENVSC 305: Environmental Spatial Analysis course this fall. Students attending the conference included Mikki Baxter ’15, Klancey Burford ’16, Tim Cornett ’16, Ian Johnson ’17, Jamie Moran ’15, Xuewei Ni ’17, and Derek Reno ’16.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research

Co-authors Amanda Klemmer ’09, Emily Thornton ’10, Marieke Perchik ’11, Cameron Eddy ’12, and Professor of Biology and Environmental Science Scott Wissinger presented the paper “Density-dependent Cross-Links Between Detritus Processing and Benthic Algae in Shallow Ponds and Wetlands” at the 2014 Joint Aquatic Societies Meeting in Portland, Oregon. Klemmer is pursuing a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand; Thornton, a M.S. in Fisheries at University of Washington, Seattle; and Eddy, a M.S. in Biology at John Carroll University. Perchik recently published research in the Journal of Experimental Biology and Ecology that she conducted while at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.

Source: Academics, Publications & Research