Month: April 2015

Benefits of Public Education on Offshore Wind Farms

Evan 17 Comments
Painting by Marie Wise 2006 http://www.mariewise.com/galleries/2006-2/nggallery/page/2

Painting by Marie Wise 2006 http://www.mariewise.com/galleries/2006-2/nggallery/page/2

Tyler Conaway-Environmental Science

Scott Curry-Geology

Samuel Evans-NRC

Edgar Hernandez-BCT

Sam Shepherd-BCT

Evan Stark-BCT

Don’t judge on outward appearance, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.  We’ve all heard this phrase countless times in life when applied to people, but why shouldn’t it apply to wind farms?  Wind farms and turbines are constantly referred to as eyesores and quickly dismissed by a portion of our population without thinking about the content of their “character.”  These turbines produce clean energy without producing harmful greenhouse gasses and without using a rapidly dwindling non-renewable resource (http://energy.gov/eere/wind/how-do-wind-turbines-work).  However, some people refuse them strictly because it would make their pristine beach view a little less pristine.  Many would agree that wind turbines are not the most aesthetically pleasing form of architecture, but they could be instrumental in reducing the world’s total carbon footprint.  A common view held by people pertaining to environmental issues is a way of thinking known as NIMBY or “Not In My Backyard”.  It means that a person may be supportive of overall positive environmental change as long as it doesn’t directly affect them negatively. Continue Reading →

Animal Experimentation: A Continued Necessity in Medical Research

Evan 376 Comments

Katie Loughman, Kathryn Brebner, Emily Mei 

Introduction

World War II is often referred to as the bloodiest war in history. From 1939 to 1945, over 50 million soldiers and civilians lost their lives to bullets, bombs, lethal gases, or the horrifying and systematic genocide of the Jewish people (History.com, n.d.). Families were torn apart by loss both on and off the battlefield. But what most fail to realize is that many of these deaths were not caused by the weapons themselves, but instead by the bacteria that colonized the wounds that they inflicted. In the midst of this devastating period of history, there was a beacon of hope: the development of penicillin, which is still regarded today as the greatest achievement in medical history. Continue Reading →

Atlantic Salmon Restoration in the Connecticut River System by Dam Removal and Modification has Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits

Evan 18 Comments

 

Connecticut River Watershed

Amy Tellier, Animal Science

Harry Spampinato, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Mohamed El Shamy, BCT

Vincent Wurster, BCT

It is an early April morning in northwestern America, and the rising spring sun peeks across the horizon to shine and flicker off the surface of the Columbia River. A small boat with a few occupants glides through the water and an easy silence sits upon them, broken only by short phrases of conversation as they adjust their fishing gear, and the occasional splash. Along the riverbank the water tumbles across rocks and swirls into little currents, but the majority of the water traveling down the center of the wide expanse of river appears almost still, presenting only the smallest of waves and ripples to indicate the current flowing downstream beneath them. From their boat, the fishermen can see a variety of other boats like their own, all outfitted with similar fishing gear. The water they float on forms a reflective surface like a television showing a program about the trees on the riverbank and the clouds in the sky (Angler West TV, 2014). This reflective surface hides a secret; it is the reason these people ventured out in their boat on such a chilly spring morning. They are fishing for spring Chinook salmon, one of four main species of salmon that spawns in the Columbia River (Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, 2015). Suddenly the quiet is broken by a flurry of motion as one of the lines goes taut, and the person responsible for this line begins to reel it in. A second person hurries over with a net, and once the fish has been maneuvered to a position alongside the boat, the net is used to scoop it out of the water and into the boat (Angler West TV, 2014). Continue Reading →

The Effects of Snow Removal on the Environment

Evan 27 Comments

635538892526002904-AP-Utah-Weather

Murphy, K. (2014). Crews load salt into a plow truck in Salt Lake City on Nov. 13.[Photograph].http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/13/kostigen-ice-road-technology/20239695/

Jeremy Chaitin, BCT. Brennah Beaupre, Wildlife . Dakota Horton, Horticulture.

 

What Happens To Road Salt Come Winter’s End?

Science reporter Joseph Stromberg (2014) said, “It’s estimated that over 22 million tons of salt are scattered on the roads of the U.S. annually- about 137 pounds of salt for every American” (p.1). Just like Stromberg (2014) we propose the question, Where does it go after that? When looking at road salt as a product it seems so harmless, all it does is melt ice for our convenience and safety. Besides its convenience, what about when the salt is washed away come springtime and the salt ends up drifting into the water and wetlands? Doesn’t 137 pounds per person seem a bit excessive and wasteful? According to Ramakrishna & Viraraghavan (2005) “[A]pproximately 9 to 10 million tons of sodium chloride, 0.3 million tons of calcium chloride and 11 million tons of abrasives are used annually. Highway salting rates range from 400 to 800 pounds of salts per mile of highway per application, and many roads annually receive more than 50 tons per mile” (Ramakrishna,D.M. & Viraraghavan,T. (2005), p 50). Those numbers make it clear that road salt is used in large, excessive quantities.

The department of public works in your respected city, county,or state executes snow removal in your area. Their job is to clear roadways and make them safe for public access before, during, or after a storm. Sometimes there is so much snow that the snowfall begins to affect homes and not only the roads.

Continue Reading →

The Effect of Pesticides on Water Quality

Evan 24 Comments

By Jessica Kuhr (Geology), Mallory Larcom (NRC), and Laura Noe (Animal Science)

Agricultural Pesticides: Worth the Risk?

Limoeiro do Norte, Brazil, was once known only for its poverty— but in the 1990’s, the town was dragged up from destitution by an influx of agricultural industry. The growth of farming in this remote countryside city brought new jobs and fresh starts to the people who lived there, however there were darker side effects as well. July of 2008 marked the beginning of a descent into hell for one citizen of Limoeiro do Norte and his family. Vanderlei Matos da Silva, an employee of  Fresh Del Monte Produce, began to complain of headaches, fever, and jaundice that summer, and his condition continued to deteriorate in the following months, making him unable to work and eventually forcing him into a hospital in the city, miles away from his home and family (Prada, 2015).

By the time his wife and infant son were ringing in a new year, Silva had succumbed to multiple organ failure and hemorrhaging; a man who had been a healthy, loving father and husband less than six months before now lay dead after a long and painful fight for his life. Fresh Del Monte Produce was taken to court by Silva’s widow, and testimony began to unravel a story of hazardous working conditions and cover-ups, as well as the use of a pesticide which, though legal in Brazil, has been banned in numerous countries and it considered to be “highly poisonous” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In 2013, five years after the death of Vanderlei Matos da Silva, Fresh Del Monte Produce was ordered to pay $110,000 in damages to his widow to atone for her husband’s untimely death (Prada, 2015). Continue Reading →

Red, Yellow, Green Light and Rising Sea Levels

Evan 15 Comments

Crashing Wave "Crashing Wave" [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrived from http://feelgrafix.com/799110-fantastic-ocean-waves-wallpaper.htmlCrashing Wave
“Crashing Wave” [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrived from http://feelgrafix.com/799110-fantastic-ocean-waves-wallpaper.html

Nikki Gautreau- Pre-Veterinary Studies

Codie Laplante- Turfgrass Management

Cassandra Zawadzki- Environmental Science

Plum Island:

The beaches on Plum Island are closed to the public, but there is still a lot of activity along the shoreline. Heavy machinery hurl boulders in front of several seaside properties to create a barrier from the sea.

We are out here doing our best to save our homes, said Steve Batchelder. You lose your house in a fire, but still have the land to build on… Here the problem is you’re losing the land to build on and the home itself. (Cited in Alesse, 2013, para. 3)

Steve Batchelder is an example of someone who will lose his valuable property to sea level rise. Steve resides on Plum Island, an island off the coast of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Due to the impact of past few winters, the island experienced a substantial amount of soil erosion and flooding. He struggles with the decision to cut his losses and move his vacation home inland, or to fight the tide. Batchelder chose to invest in repairs for now but he states, “There’s going to be a time when it’s just not going to make sense,” (Cited in Alesse, 2013, para. 12).  Eventually the cost of remediation will outweigh the cost of starting over.

Continue Reading →

The Benefits of Spaying and Neutering Domesticated Cats and Dogs

Evan 221 Comments

Abby Taylor, Animal Science

Trish Vosburg, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

Emily Sgarlat, Natural Resources Conservation

Human/Animal Relationships

Spaying and neutering saves lives. In her first year a female cat can have up to 3 litters, this could mean an average of 12 kittens per year. In her second year if she and each of her kittens have three litters, that’s 144 offspring… if this cycle continues, in 4 years a single cat and her kittens can be responsible for 10,736 offspring. (Pet Health Network, 2011) There is an overpopulation of domestic cats and dogs in the United States. There are not enough homes for these animals and many of them end up in shelters. Due to overcrowding of shelters approximately 600 dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens are killed every hour (AHeinz57, 2015). The role domesticated cats and dogs play in our lives is often as company, we choose to take on the financial responsibility that comes with owning a cat or dog because they add happiness to our lives. Part of this financial responsibility includes spaying or neutering these animal companions.

Continue Reading →

Celebrity-led education campaign to increase awareness of causality of ASDs

Evan 37 Comments

Dan Anastos, Turfgrass mgt. – Lindsay Glazier, Animal Sci – Jennifer Raichel Environmental sci

At first glance, Rhett Krawitt of California looks like your average seven year old boy. He seems to be a young kid full of life and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, it is not what it seems for Rhett. Instead of spending his days like most seven year olds, outside playing games with friends, he spends his days in and out of hospitals. The main cause of this lifestyle is his leukemia. This disease is only the beginning, as Rhett has been dealt a completely new problem. The new threat to this young boy’s life is measles, a disease that was almost unheard of over the past decade because of advancement in medical vaccinations. Unlike most children, Rhett cannot receive these vaccinations due to his leukemia. He is one statistic in the unvaccinated children debate. However, unlike most other children in this category, Rhett doesn’t have a choice. He now faces an entire new battle for his life, all because of an outbreak fueled by unvaccinated children. Children with the ability to receive the vaccination, but didn’t all because of misjudgments by parents. These parents are just a small portion of this rapidly growing debate sweeping the country.

Continue Reading →

HVAC Systems & Indoor Air Quality

Evan 27 Comments

Taylor Bardin (Natural Resource Conservation)

Alec Stephens (Building, Construction & Technology)

Ethan Finkel (Environmental Science)

 

Between attending classes, working a part-time job, going to the gym, finding time to socialize, and remembering about that weekly quiz an hour before lecture, the inevitable exhaustive and delusional feelings students often experience begin to set in before there is time for an afternoon nap. But that sluggish, unfocused feeling does not always reflect their sleep, dietary or even exercise patterns. Rather, it could be the result of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) found in many buildings on campus, places where students, in addition to faculty and staff, spend much of their day. For each breath humans take, between 1 and 2 million particles are deposited on the inside of the lungs (R. Peltier, personal communication, January 20, 2015), and while the majority of those particles are relatively harmless, poor IAQ increases exposure to and likelihood of sicknesses. Coupled with the chronic health effects of exposure to poor IAQ – asthma, respiratory illness, immune system deficiencies, DNA damage and cancer (Radakovic et al., 2014) – the air that we breathe is cause for serious concern.

Continue Reading →