Archive for year: 2015
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XSEDE Scholars Program
Application Deadline: March 31, 2015
Acceptance notification: April 10, 2015
link: XSEDE Scholars Program
Supercomputers, data collections, new tools, digital services, increased productivity for thousands of scientists around the world…
Sound exciting? These are some of the topics you can learn more about through the XSEDE Scholars Program.
The XSEDE Scholars Program (XSP) is a program for U.S. students from underrepresented groups in the area of computational sciences. As a Scholar, you will learn more about high performance computing and XSEDE resources, network with cutting-edge researchers and professional leaders, and belong to a cohort of student peers to establish a community of academic leaders. In particular, the focus is on the following underrepresented groups: African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and women.
Website updated
Update to resume, and capstone done.
Surveying Quemada Creek
Our investigation of changes in stream channel morphology has provided a unique opportunity to study hydrologic, geologic, and vegetative changes in an unaltered system over time. By reexamining a stream that had been severely degraded by a century of heavy grazing, a canyon seen barren just a decade ago is observed returning back to its natural form.
Surveying with the Nikon Total Station allows our team to collect data with precision while repeating a study previously conducted in 1999 and 2002
As a researcher studying within an island locale one must quickly find balance between a primitive, low impact existence with technological and scientific need. Preparation becomes a key element of the project when your study site is a half-day’s boat ride off the mainland.
Man-Made Islands
Man-made islands have long been a topic of debate for environmentalists, the uber wealthy, and nations at odds. In addition to fetching a high price tag, nations like China are now exploring the use of man-made islands to claim rights to exclusive economic zones that extend for 200 miles of the island’s shorelines. This has raised international pushback and reexamination of the laws that define islands and manmade structures in the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea.
Additionally, the construction and habitation of these islands take an enormous input of money and raw materials, and impact to the aquatic ecosystems in the reefs and rocks they’re built upon. Once constructed, the islands require extensive maintenance to combat shoreline loss, creating a perpetual problem. This issue is visually demonstrated by examining the island communities, The World and The Palms, off the coast of Dubai. As photos in the article document, the upkeep has had a rapid and destructive impact on local resource with no long term solution.
With global sea level rise and replenishment of sand resources declining at a faster rate then their extraction, the construction of man-made islands appear to be a fool’s errand. However, with major political, economic, and environmental ramifications, it is imperative that a system of rules and regulations be defined and implemented to protect these valuable resources.
http://na.unep.net/geas/getUNEPPageWithArticleIDScript.php?article_id=110
Capstone Research
Title: Population Dynamics of the Island Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana insluaris) on Santa Rosa Island, CA
Hypothesis:
What effect does precipitation and leaf litter have on the germination (time and probability) of Pinus torreyana insluaris?
Abstract:
The Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana and ssp. Pinus torreyana insularis) is the rarest pine species in North America, with populations limited to San Diego and Santa Rosa Island (SRI), CA. Over the past century, non-native ungulate grazing and erosion reduced recruitment and distribution of P. torreyana insularis. To aid this recovery, all non-native ungulates were removed from SRI in 2012. We began censusing this population in 2013 to determine: (a) population size and any recovery trajectory; (b) spatial variation in population structure; (c) spatial pattern of distinct age classes; (d) environmental factors correlating with seed germination and seedling survival; and (e) conservation gains associated with non-native ungulate removal. 24,192 individuals make up the SRI population, of which 3,068 are sexually mature. Using a point density calculation within ArcMap, we isolated six distinct groves on SRI. Groves were further characterized by collecting tree cores to determine relative age and permanent plots were established to monitor seedling and sapling survival. It was determined that smaller, younger individuals are frequently located on the edges of the groves, while larger, older individuals tend to dominate grove centers. To understand this recent recruitment and ideal reproductive habitat, a common garden study was performed to evaluate germination (time and success) under the presence or absence of leaf litter and historical precipitation since 1999. Data from this study is imperative for resource managers quantifying the ongoing recovery of the SRI Torrey pine.
Data Figure:
