Hubbard Brook REU Program

Major and Home University: Environmental Conservation, University of New Hampshire

Research Mentor: Dr. Charley Driscoll

Why/how did you get involved with the program?

He heard about Hubbard Brook in his classes at UNH, and became interested after finding the program online. He really liked the location, and most important the type of research that is being conducted here. Plus, it's in the White Mountains!

Loon Pond, NH

What is your project?

Comparing the acidity levels of ponds in the White Mountains to previously collected data from 1995. He is looking to see if there have been any changes in acidity levels in these ponds over the past decade, as well as comparing ANC, sulfur, and nitrogen levels. Pretty simple, yet a whole lot of hiking and data analysis.

Why is it important?

To see if the Clean Air Act worked. A lot of time, money, and effort has been put into decreasing acid deposition in the United States. It is very important to find out if these efforts have been successful (and if not, adapt our efforts so they will be more successful).

Also, it is generally important to monitor water quality. Sudden changes could mean something isn't right in the ecosystem, or humans are creating a new impact on the environment. Acid rain (as a concept) was discovered here at Hubbard Brook thanks to long-term monitoring.

And finally....what is your favorite piece of gear?

The boat used for sampling hard to access ponds.

Not quite...

After a rather *difficult* day in the field yesterday involving sinking up to my thighs in muck, I decided to take a day off and catch up on some of the blog work.

As part of this, I went up to the Forest Service laboratories here at Hubbard Brook, to check out the lab work that some of the REU's are doing. I've put together the photos below, with captions on what they're doing.

Enjoy!

REU Student Maggie Zimmer Testing Ground Water pH

The pH probe

Soil Samples from REU Student Katie Harvey Drying

REU Student Cayce Salvino Pulverizing Leaves

The "Shatter Box", a device used to pulverize leave samples for chemical analysis

Before....

...and after.

REU Student Kaitlin Friedman preparing samples for ANC (Acid Neutralizing Capacity) measurement

The automated machine used to measure ANC

Just a flip of the switch!

Even though it's not field work, lab work can get pretty tiring. Right Garnet?

Major/Home University: Environmental Science, Geology minor, Unity College

Mentors: Pamela Templer and John Campbell

Why/how did you get involved with the program?

She was interested in the research being conducted, and also liked that she would be paid. The combination of the two was great!

What is your project?

Investigating the Effects of Changing Environments on Sugar Maple Trees in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

Basically, she is investigating how freezing soils (there will be more winter soil freezing due to climate change because of decreased snow pack) will effect how quickly trees heal from wounds. Or more simply put, does stress cause trees to heal slower?

Why is it important?

Climate change is becoming a fact here in the Northeast. One of the effects of climate change could be decreased snow amounts in the winter, which insulates the soil in the winter. Usually the snow is thick enough to prevent a lot of soil freezing, which protects roots. Less snow means more freezing, and thus more stress on trees. This stress might be large enough to cause a decrease in Sugar Maple trees, which are very important economically in New England. Could climate change impact maple syrup production?

And finally....what is your favorite piece of gear?

Car batteries, for the workout!

Seriously, who needs weights?

(Cayce is also changing batteries for Dr. Templer's research probes in the forest).

During the Cooperator's Meeting, REU students Maggie Zimmer and Katie Harvey gave a presentation about their current work, entitled "Is there a riparian zone in the headwater catchments at HBRF? Evidence from the groundwater hydrology and soil morphology/chemistry"

They mainly talked about their current research in Watershed 3 at Hubbard Brook, concerning the hydrology and soil properties beside and around the streams. They also talked about what kinds of outcomes and products they hope to have at the end of their work this summer.

So while I am *busily* working on gathering material from the Cooperator's Meeting for the blog, I thought I'd throw up a few photos from the barn dance last night.

Tada!

Dr. James Collins is the Director of the Directorate for Biological Sciences at the National Science Foundation. Additionally he is a Virginia M. Ullman Professor of Natural History and the Environment in the School of Life Science at Arizona State University.

Essentially, he is very important.

He is visiting Hubbard Brook this week as the keynote speaker for the 2009 Cooperators Meeting, and spoke to the REU students Monday afternoon.

His talk included how he got interested in science, his work in biology, how the NSF works, and the future of careers in biology among other topics.

Personally, I thought it was great that Dr. Collin's took so much interest in what we as students are working on, and how we perceive the research world. The session was much more of a conversation than a lecture.

For audio from his talk, please click here: http://tiny.cc/JamesCollinsTalk

Did you always want to be a scientist? (And, why biology?)

While he was always interested in the natural world. Dr. Collin's initially wanted to be a pet store owner when he was younger (we're talking elementary school). Later on, his more realistic ideas included becoming either a pediatrician or something else in the field of biology. After working as a part of a research team in the Bahamas, he decided to pursue a career in research science.

What are some of your current projects?

His current work includes the biology and ecology of infectious diseases, diseases and wildlife, and how diseases can cause species extinction. Most of his work is conducted using amphibians (mainly salamanders), and studying the decline of organisms such as bats (via white nose syndrome) and chestnuts in the Eastern United States.

Additionally, he is busy working as the Director of the Biology programs at the National Science Foundation, and in his *spare* time he has just completed a book titled "Extinction in Our Times; Global Amphibian Decline". It can be found at the address below:

http://tiny.cc/ExtinctionInOurTime

Do you have any advice for aspiring young undergraduate scientists like us?

• It's okay to not know what you want to study!
• Be ready for the opportunities that will come along
• Use your contacts and networks
• Go where your heart wants to take you
• Don't worry about the money!
• Enjoy it!

It sounds utterly unamazing, but the name doesn't give it credit.

The annual Cooperator's Meeting will occur at Hubbard Brook this week. The meeting is essentially a large conference for all of the scientists working at Hubbard Brook. It consists of short presentations about current scientific work, poster sessions, board meetings, and of course, the dinner and barn dance!

The scientific presentations are broken down into several categories, including heterotrophs (animals), hydrology (water movement), biogeochemisty, vegetation, and special work in Watershed One and calcium levels. Scientists will be coming from Cornell University, Syracuse University, SUNY ESF, the University of New Hampshire, UC Berkley, the University of Vermont, and Dartmouth College among others.

For more info, check out:

http://www.hubbardbrook.org/events/coop_meetings/09agenda.pdf

And it all is a whole lot cooler than it sounds.

Have a great 4th of July everyone! Next post will be on Monday, about the upcoming Cooperator's Meeting.