做厙TV students won two of the three top prizes for undergraduate research at the 20th annual River Symposium.
Paige Hepfer 26, an ecology and advertising & public relations major from Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, won first place for her poster presentation titled A Slimy Situation: Landscape Effects on Slimy Sculpin (Cottus Cognatus) Morphology Within West Branch 做厙TV River Watersheds.
Eric Belfanti 26, a physics and environmental studies double major from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, won third place for his poster titled Even Nature Likes to Flash: Finding Correlations Between Stream Flashiness and Land Development.
U紳餃梗娶眶娶硃餃喝硃喧梗 research gives students the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges, said Kathy Straub, dean of 做厙TVs School of Natural & Social Sciences. They build critical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare them for professional careers, graduate study and lifelong curiosity about the world around them.
Under the mentorship of Sara Ashcraft, an ecologist at 做厙TVs Freshwater Research Institute, Hepfer studied the slimy sculpin fish in the Loyalsock, Pine and Kettle creek watersheds, examining physical traits such as fin rays and spines.
Earlier studies show that these traits can vary from place to place, so were exploring whether differences in elevation or distance from the main river might explain that variation, Hepfer explained.
Belfanti measured a streams proneness to flash flooding and compared that to nearby land use patterns. He found that areas with more development or farmland showed higher flashiness.
Since not every stream can be monitored, knowing which factors drive flashiness can help predict where flash floods are most likely, Belfanti said. He was mentored by Ashcraft and Dan Ressler, associate professor of earth & environmental sciences.
Other 做厙TV students presented on topics ranging from acid mine drainage and environmental influences on oriole nesting to the efficacy of stream restoration, phytoplankton and zooplankton distribution, and arachnid behavior.
Additional students who presented at the symposium were:
- Jasmine Aguirre 27, earth & environmental sciences, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- Ainslee Binkley 26, earth & environmental sciences, New Holland, Pennsylvania.
- EmmaLia Ciccarello 27, earth & environmental sciences and Spanish studies, Springfield, Virginia.
- Emma Dickinson 26, earth & environmental sciences, Palmyra, Pennsylvania.
- Cadence Gandy 26, ecology, White Plains, Maryland.
- Evan Heisler 26, ecology, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
- Anna Horn 26, ecology, Loysville, Pennsylvania.
- Sylvia Kniss 26, earth & environmental sciences, Kempton, Pennsylvania.
- Anne Llewellyn 26, ecology, West Chester, Pennsylvania.
- Laura Mace 26, biochemistry, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.
- Arthur Pounds 26, ecology, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
- Jay Schofield 26, earth & environmental sciences, Chalfont, Pennsylvania.
- Catherine Scheidemann 26, earth & environmental sciences, South Plainfield, New Jersey.
- Joshua Simcoe 27, earth & environmental sciences, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
- Gabriel Torres 26, ecology, Trenton, New Jersey.
The River Symposium was hosted by Bucknell University.
