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In December, four students presented research at the American Geophysical Union 2008 fall meeting in San Francisco, which drew approximately 15,000 geophysicists working on a variety of topics in Earth and space sciences.
Civil engineering major Thomas Voltz ’09 (Melville, N.Y.), along with faculty mentor David Brandes, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, presented research on how streamflow patterns in the Northeast United States have responded to urbanization.
William Hudacek ’10 (Long Valley, N.J.) and Bryan McAtee ’11 (Round Hill, Va.), both geology majors, gave a presentation on a gravity mapping project that they worked on with Lawrence L. Malinconico, associate professor of geology and environment geoscience, and geology graduates Matt Harhen ’08 and Joanna Morabito ’08.
Geology major Hilary White ’10 (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.), Kira Lawrence, assistant professor of geology and environment geosciences, and Morabito presented their work exploring the evolution of North Atlantic Ocean temperature during the Pliocene epoch.
As an EXCEL scholar, Voltz assisted Brandes in researching the effects of urbanization on streamflow patterns in the northeastern U.S., with a focus on about 40 watersheds in the vicinity of large urban centers. Voltz’s role has been to identify patterns of change in annual flow volumes, flow duration, response to rainfall, and other measurements.
Voltz says his goal for after graduation is to continue his education and make more contributions to scientific research in graduate school. “I have a much better sense of just how much the scientific community is thriving and how much fascinating research is going on that I would not otherwise have been aware of.”
He says working with Brandes has been invaluable to his undergraduate experience: “It’s inspiring working with someone who takes scientific research so seriously, and I can say for sure that I would not have been inclined to go to graduate school had it not been for his influence.”
Funded by a grant Malinconico received from Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the gravity mapping project was part of DCNR’s Pennsylvania Geological Survey. Once complete, the gravity map of Pennsylvania will be a useful tool other researchers can use to look for economically viable geological products such as oil and natural gas.
Hudacek and Harhen spent the summer of 2007 traveling throughout Pennsylvania taking gravity measurements to add to existing gravity data. “What is so great about the EXCEL program at Lafayette is that it is open to all students. As a rising sophomore, I never expected to be involved with this kind of research,” Hudacek says.
White’s work was funded by a National Science Foundation grant Lawrence received to research Arctic Sea surface temperatures at various points in time between two to three million years ago.
“I believe that Professor Lawrence and her dedication to the research and to me, as a student, provides a true reflection of the entire geology department, and specifically of its commitment to its students and to undergraduate research,” White says.