ARTIFACTS
Click on any of the following artifacts for details.
Summer 2018-2019 Sustainability Internship
In 2018 and 2019, I was awarded an internship with one of my environmental science professors. In 2018, I proposed two projects that I implemented throughout the summer. In 2019, I continued the projects and conducted my own research regarding them. These projects are listed below, with their proposals on the right:
Drain Guards This project involved installing drain guards on some of the storm drains in RVCC's campus parking lots. These drain guards were designed to collect trash before it could wash into storm drains while still allowing stormwater to freely flow into the drains. In addition to ordering them, I also documented the trash accumulation in and near the drain before and after installation to gauge the effectiveness of the guards. Deer Exclosure
For this project, I wanted to help improve the health of the stream on campus by removing invasive plants and planting native ones inside a deer exclosure near the stream to ensure plant growth. Throughout the summer, I worked in the exclosure removing invasive species while also documenting what was there using an app called iNaturalist. In addition to removing invasives and planting natives, I also took water and soil samples to test in our water quality lab. This helped me to determine if stream health was improving. |
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Deer Exclosure Final Report
For my final report, I chose to write about the deer exclosure project. This report included elements from my proposal as well as my results. Over the course of this internship, moisture content increased, pH decreased, dissolved oxygen increased, ammonia decreased, and nitrates decreased in the RVCC stream. These results indicated a positive outcome of the project. Overall, this internship taught me the importance of collecting your own research and making sure to follow all lab procedures. In addition, it was the first project I've done with no expected outcome, so it gave me experience in independent research and experiment design. |
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Steward Green Summer 2020 Internship
During this internship, I learned about projects that improve ecosystems. Tasks included assisting with field projects, wildlife habitat monitoring, social media contributions, and photography. Some of the photos I edited and submitted to Steward Green are posted on the left. |
2020 Red Maple Soil Research Internship
For the duration of this internship, I worked with Dr. Jessica Favorito on analyzing the relationship of maple sugaring and soil properties in maple stands on campus. This internship was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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Stockton Soil Analysis
For this lab in my soil science class, I worked with others to measure the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and pH of soil horizons at Stockton University. We also measured base saturation and exchangeable acidity to help determine the overall soil health. Based on our results, I determined the health of soils on Stockton University's campus to be poor due to its low pH and CEC. The reasoning behind these results could be because Stockton has sandy soils with low organic matter, as well as the use of fertilizers on campus in addition to water leaching nutrients from the soil due to its porous nature, which will only worsen due to high water usage on campus. This lab taught me about proper experimental procedures in soil science as well as how to think critically regarding soils. |
Tourmaline GSA Presentation and Term Paper
My mineralogy term paper/presentation was a project I really enjoyed working on. I researched and described the provenance, physical properties, chemistry, optical properties, crystallographic properties, type localities, and importance of tourmaline. This paper helped me comprehend the importance of research and how to interpret it. Not only did I have to display this information in a final paper, but I also had to give a GSA-style presentation for 15 minutes. In addition to the PowerPoint as a visual aid, I also brought samples of tourmaline from my own personal collection to pass around for a more detailed look and understanding. This project really helped me understand the importance of public speaking and gave me ample experience in the topic. |
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Geographic Information System (GIS) Lab
This lab for my environmental issues class involved refreshing my GIS skills that I learned in physical geography. In this activity I created a map from my classmates addresses. I also selected and mapped survey points on Stockton's Lake Fred in preparation for another lab in which we used selected points to measure in-situ water parameters. The last two maps were created to demonstrate my understanding of data from the NJDEP. The first map shows polluted sites, polluted groundwater, and roads in my hometown. The last map shows four delineated national parks in Utah, Washington, Montana and California. This lab taught me the importance of GIS as well as basic concepts in the program. |
The Cambrian Explosion Presentation
This presentation for my historical geology class was both challenging and rewarding. The slideshow I created was GSA-style, and had to be an expansion of an interesting topic touched on in class. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had to record myself presenting instead of presenting directly to my class. This project allowed me to research the Cambrian Explosion, a topic I already enjoyed learning about, more intensely. In addition, it improved my PowerPoint and public speaking skills. Another important skill learned from this presentation was how to organize my research and thoughts into more concise and succinct thoughts. |
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Well Water Testing Lab
This lab was from my environmental issues class. It addressed this question: Is there a case for mandatory private well testing in NJ? If so, how should it be done? In my report, I argued that mandatory private well testing should be mandatory with specific guidelines. To back up my stance, I used data from the DEP of known groundwater pollutants in my home county, Hunterdon. After sorting through this data, I determined the ten most common groundwater pollutants in the county and their maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) and maximum contaminant level (MCL) as stated by the EPA. This lab taught me about many water regulations and laws in the United States, as well as how to think critical regarding such topics as water policy. |
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WQI Project
I worked in a group to determine the water quality index of the South Branch Raritan River. We tested the water's temperature, pH, turbidity, total solids, DO, BOD, total phosphate, nitrates, and fecal coliform levels. Our results determined a rating of 'good'. This project taught me about WQI analysis and proper laboratory procedures, as well as how to work effectively in a team. |
Wildlife Camera
In zoology I learned how to set up, operate, and monitor a wildlife camera. My group positioned it in a forest behind our campus, and researched what kind of bait we could use to lure in different animals. The most useful bait was tuna, as its smell attracted many different types of wildlife. To the left are our best photos; an eastern gray squirrel, red fox, raccoon, and white-tailed deer. This lab taught me how to strategically use a wildlife camera, as well as how to work together in a group. It also taught me how to adapt to change, as the weather varied a lot during this project so we had to place the camera accordingly. |
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Ridesharing Project
My senior project at RVCC was to research carbon dioxide emissions, stress levels from parking, and issues with parking in select parking lots on campus in order to decide if a ridesharing app for the school would be useful. We did this by performing surveys of the student's opinions on ridesharing in addition to collecting data during specific time intervals between the busiest class times over several days in different parking lots simultaneously. We concluded that a ridesharing app would be effective, but more research would be needed. This project taught me proper sampling skills as well as public speaking skills as we had to present our findings to the class orally. We also presented our research in a poster at our school's annual poster session (see right image). Our poster tied for first place by popular vote out of over 50 posters. |