Geology faculty at Wittenberg University know the importance of providing theory, laboratory and field experience to their students. To this end, all geology majors must complete a senior thesis field research project to graduate. However, the opportunity for hands-on research is ongoing as the department offers students a wide variety of learning experiences beyond the classroom, including avenues to present their research at national conferences.
Recently, the Geological Society of America (GSA) accepted the research projects of Kelly Shaw, class of 2011 from Hamilton, Ohio, and Kathryn Akerman, class of 2010 from Bradford, R.I., for presentation at its 2010 national conference in Denver, Colo. Associate Professor of Geology Michael Zaleha and three fellow students accompanied Shaw and Akerman to the event, which was attended by thousands of scientists.
Shaw's project, "Recreational Enhancements on An Urban Stream and Their Role in Stream Restoration," focused on Buck Creek in Springfield, Ohio. Supervised by Professor of Geology and Department Chair John Ritter, the research involved comparison of the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index of Buck Creek after dam modification with that from before the modification.
Growing up on a farm, Shaw developed an interest in rocks, soil and water at an early age, and the geology department's hands-on approach to learning was the primary reason she chose Wittenberg. In addition, her senior thesis project grew from an earlier internship she completed with the Wittenberg Center for Civic & Urban Engagement on the Core and Creek initiative of the Buck Creek Corridor Project, which relies heavily on the Springfield/Clark County community.
"I have been able to not only watch the modification of the low-head dams, but also been there using the equipment to monitor pre- and post-dam modifications, which have been a source of several projects," Shaw said. "I worked with water quality monitors called sondes that continuously collect turbidity, dissolved oxygen, ph, temp and conductivity of the stream. I have also worked with other high-tech monitoring equipment used to monitor Beaver and Buck Creeks. This hands-on approach is the main reason I came to Wittenberg's geology program."
Akerman also chose Wittenberg because of the reputation of its geology department. Her interest in geology was ignited after taking an introductory class at the University of Rhode Island, and she discovered that she enjoyed the subject matter and wished to pursue it further. She transferred to Wittenberg in the fall of 2008 and completed her undergraduate degree in December 2010.
Her senior project, "Resolving Gravel Point-Bar, Overbank, and Glaciofluvial Deposits Using Electrical Resistivity Ground Imaging (ERGI), Mad River, West-Central Ohio, USA," was supervised by Zaleha and took place in southwestern Clark County on the Mad River.
"Approaching my research ‘hands-on' also has allowed me to speak more knowledgably about my project," Akerman said. "I learned how to use Electrical Resistivity Ground Imaging Equipment and the related software program to produce subsurface images of a gravel point bar off the Mad River," Akerman said. "I generally learn by doing so this experience has benefited me greatly in that respect. I was able to learn a lot more about how research is conducted at the collegiate level and what to expect from a graduate program."
Wittenberg's geology department equipment is state-of-the-art water quality equipment on the Buck Creek Educational Corridor and was funded through a grant from the Springfield Conservancy District. Other pieces of equipment were purchased through gifts made to the department by alumni and a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. A more recent grant from the NSF paid for an acoustic Doppler current profiler.
"I don't know of another school our size that has the quality of equipment that we do — in fact, it exceeds that of many R1 schools," Ritter said. Wittenberg is also unique in that two of its faculty scholars study rivers from their own disciplinary perspectives — Zaleha as a sedimentologist, and Ritter as a geomorphologist/hydrologist. Their research is driven by an interest in river systems and river processes.
"The goals of my research on Buck Creek are to understand the impact land use and dam modifications have on stream ecology. We are examining changes in stream habitat, water quality and stream macroinvertebrates prior to and following the modification of the lowhead dams," Ritter said. "These dams are not being removed for stream restoration purposes nor are the whitewater structures being designed with that in mind – our work then is looking at their potential for stream restoration."
Zaleha's current research is examining sediment transport and deposition on a reach of the Mad River in southwestern Clark County.
"Kathryn's work was a direct result of the project," Zaleha said. "Results from the project will have implications for river management and restoration, and the development and management of aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs."
Zaleha also has students examining the geology of campus (including the valley of an old creek that ran from the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning to and through Commencement Hollow), the Cedarville Dolomite and plant fossils from southeastern Ohio.
"Students work on varied interesting projects," Zaleha said. "We encourage them to present at professional meetings. We had five of our students attend the past conference." Both women enjoyed their experiences at the national conference.
"I was able to talk to students and professors at my poster as well as at the graduate school booths," Shaw explained. "The poster session allows for professionals and undergrads to present research in poster form or orally. The section I was in had to deal with hydrology, but the sections were from one end of the spectrum to the other."
"I had some time to network and talk to professionals in the fields I'm looking to pursue," Akerman said. "Many professionals provided me with insight on other projects and field environments that use the equipment I used, and I met several people from another university who use the equipment in a coastal setting rather than a river/inland setting." Akerman currently works for the Student Conservation Association as a member of the New Hampshire Conservation Corps based out of Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, N.H.
"I am working as an environmental educator in the fifth grade classes at an elementary school in Manchester, N.H. During the summer I will transition to being a state park interpretive ranger at one of the New Hampshire state parks," Akerman explained. "The program lasts until October 2011, and I intend to pursue a graduate program for environmental education."
All Wittenberg geology students will conduct research either at Wittenberg with a supervising faculty member or at an approved site off-campus. Last summer four students worked on some form of research on campus, supported by awards from the department's Nave Endowment or the Student Development Board.
"Other opportunities included an internship with the Student Conservation Association on a dinosaur excavation with the Bureau of Land Management at the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry," Ritter explained. "One student attended a summer field camp, a traditional field mapping and techniques course taken by geology students, and another worked with the U.S. Geological Survey in Columbus on bacteria levels in reservoirs, while two students worked with researchers as a part of the NSF's ‘Research Experiences for Undergraduates.'"
As the demand for geologists and environment scientists continues to grow, the competitive edge from the extensive variety of learning experiences offered at Wittenberg will continue to grow in importance.
"Thousands of dams will likely be removed from streams across the United States over the next 10-20 years, mostly for economic reasons, but stream restoration is a one billion dollar a year industry for environmental consultants," Ritter said. "As we study the impact of dam modification, we are realizing the role of urban and agricultural land uses have on stream hydrology and water quality – in particular, our work is going to have significant implications for assessing combined sewer overflows and changes to those system over the next 10 years."
"In the future I would hope to work with a soil and water district or other careers that pertain to natural resources," Shaw said. "I now have experience with high-tech equipment that is being used all over in geology. It is important to know the concepts of your field, but if you also get to experience hands-on in your field, that gives you an advantage and more opportunities," Shaw said. "Because of the hands-on research opportunities that I have had, I have been published several times and been able to present at the annual GSA meetings, and I will be presenting this March in Pittsburgh at the North-Central joint GSA meeting."
Written By: Phyllis Eberts
Photo By: Erin Pence
