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Undergraduate students present research findings at Cary Institute

Millbrook, N.Y. - Join the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies for the 26th Annual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Symposium, where eleven students will present the results of their summer research projects. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Cary Institute's REU program attracts students from all over the country. The Symposium will take place on Friday, August 16th, 2013 from 1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Working with a mentor, participants craft a project, carry out research, analyze data, and present their findings. This summer, projects have included the effects of pharmaceuticals on streams, songbird communication, ecological regulation of mosquitoes and disease risk, microbial processes in urban ecosystems, citizenship and environmental decision making, and the Hudson River wetlands, and climate change.

The following is a list of students, their college affiliation, the title of their project, and their mentors:

  • Nikola Alexandre: Vassar College, Evaluating nature's bulldozers: Does body-mass predict rates of soil movement and sediment movement? Dr. Clive Jones – mentor.
  • Mary Ellis: North Park University, Influence of dragonfly larvae on mosquito development and survival. Dr. Shannon LaDeau – mentor.
  • Jason Lopiccolo: Humboldt State University, Exploring the relationship between interest and learning: A case study of a middle school stream ecology unit. Dr. Alan Berkowitz and Education Staff – mentors.
  • Keyanna Millinger: Barnard College, The effects of diphenhydramine on stream macroinvertebrates. Drs. Emma Rosi-Marshall and Heather Bechtold – mentors.
  • Rebekah Petroff: Allegheny College, Finding the epigenetic patterns of Phragmites australis in the Hudson River estuary. Dr. Stuart Findlay – mentor.
  • Elizabeth de la Reguera: Dickinson College, Soil conditions and nitrogen dynamics in urban grasslands. Dr. Peter Groffman – mentor.
  • Joshua Rieskamp. Centre College, Variation in the song repertoire of the Veery (Catharus Fuscescens). Dr. Kara Belinsky – mentor.
  • Maria Schletzbaum: Washington University in St. Louis, Priority effects and the influence of nitrates on two urban mosquito species. Dr. Shannon LaDeau – mentor.
  • Katherine Trudeau: Smith College, The effects of politically relevant topics in the science classroom. Dr. Alan Berkowitz and Education Staff – mentors.
  • Rachael Tylock: Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, Grinding down coral reefs: Does sponge growth rate determine erosion rate? Dr. Clive Jones – mentor.
  • Emily Baker: Mount Holyoke College, Egg banks of temporary pools and their potential for mosquito production. Dr. Shannon LaDeau – mentor.

The event will be held in the Cary Institute auditorium located at 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Route 44) in Millbrook, N.Y. For more information, call (845) 677-7600 x326 or e-mail smithp@caryinstitute.org.