GLOBES REU Projects Summer 2009
See below for descriptions of research projects for Summer 2009. Additional projects may be posted so do check the website on a regular basis. Undergraduates are encouraged to contact the advisor and/or student mentor for further information.
| Project Title (click title for more info) | Department |
| Impact of Nile tilapia introduction to the Kafue River, Zambia | Biological Sciences |
| Biological Sciences | |
| Climate change coverage and attitudes towards the environment | Sociology |
| Endangered clubshell mussel in the Tippecanoe River | Biological Sciences |
| Dynamics of macaque-human population interactions and disease transmission | Biological Sciences |
| Gene expression under climate change | Biological Sciences |
| Abundance of large woody debris in northern Indiana and southern Michigan rivers | Biological Sciences |
| Malarial policies and control in Nnindye, Uganda | Biological Sciences |
| Spread of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil | Biological Sciences |
| The effect of car ownership on labor market outcomes | Economics & Econometrics |
Impact of Nile tilapia introduction to the Kafue River, Zambia
Faculty Advisor: David Lodge, Center for Aquatic Conservation, Biological Sciences, dlodge@nd.edu
GLOBES Fellow/Mentor: Andy Deines, Biological Sciences, adeines@nd.edu
Brief Research Overview: In collaboration with the Zambian Department of Fisheries and the University of Zambia, the Center for Aquatic Conservation is investigating the ecological and social impacts of the introduction of the non-native Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus in the Kafue River, Zambia. The Nile tilapia has been introduced throughout the world in recent decades, yet surprisingly there are few, if any, rigorous reports of how these introductions may impact receiving ecosystems. Declining capture fisheries and growing global demand for protein means that tilapia are being introduced into more places at an increasing rate, without good information on what the environmental, economic and social impacts of those introductions could be. Observations in Zambia have strongly suggested that the Nile tilapia is hybridizing with the native 3-spot tilapia, O. andersonii in the Kafue River. Hybridization poses risks to the genetic diversity of the native species, and potentially the productivity of the fishery as a whole. Our goal is to use molecular tools to determine the spatial and genetic extent of hybridization on the Kafue River and conduct field experiments to estimate the ecological impacts of Nile tilapia introductions, in order to inform the management of tilapia introductions worldwide.
REU Project Description: Two examples of potential REU projects are as follows:
- Field sampling on Kafue River was carried in August-November 2008 to estimate the distribution of Nile tilapia on the Kafue. Tissue samples of all Oreochromis morphotypes were collected at this time in order to examine the extent of hybridization using microsatellite markers. A REU student could use these samples as a starting point to carry out phylo-geographic analyses of tilapia introductions.
- Controlled experiments will be essential in elucidating the impacts of Nile tilapia introductions. A motivated REU, if accepted, will design and carry out experiments that, for example, test the fitness and competitive abilities of various Oreochromis species and their hybrids.
The exact goals and scope of the project would be determined based on the student’s interests and abilities, bearing in mind that further field work and collections in Africa are likely.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame (International component in Zambia is pending project approval)
Restoration of ecosystem function in agricultural streams
Faculty Advisor: Jen Tank, Biological Sciences, tank.1@nd.edu
GLOBES Fellow/Mentor: Mia Stephen, stephen.2@nd.edu
Brief Research Overview: In the agricultural Midwest, small headwater streams have modified geometries characterized by a trapezoidal shape and low connectivity to an active floodplain as a result of channelization. Adverse consequences of this maintenance design include stream bank instability, erosion of sediments, and the export of excess nutrients to downstream systems as a result of reduced in-stream biotic processing. Two novel restoration techniques are currently in practice to mitigate such impacts: (1) Two-stage ditch construction, where bank sediments are excavated to create small floodplains adjacent to the channel and (2) Overwide channel construction, where bank sediments are removed to promote self-forming floodplains adjacent to the channel. In collaboration with The United States Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy, The Ohio State University, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service we are comparing the efficacy of these two stream management techniques. Specifically, we are using metrics of stream ecosystem function to quantify nutrient loading, assimilatory uptake, and nitrogen removal by stream biota.
REU Project Description: The undergraduate researcher will have the opportunity to complete an independent project complementing the ongoing research on stream management. The student will develop both field and lab skills, including measurement of physical stream features, use of data-logging equipment, analysis of water chemistry and sediment samples, laboratory assays of biological nitrogen transformations, and gas chromatography. The REU student will work directly with a graduate student, with the option to also collaborate with a fellow REU on projects concerning nutrient cycling, restoration, and management of agriculturally-influenced streams.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame campus, with periodic field sampling trips to agricultural streams in Indiana, Southern Michigan, and Western Ohio.
Climate change coverage and attitudes towards the environment
Faculty Advisor: Jessica L. Collett, Sociology, jcollett@nd.edu
GLOBES Fellow/Mentor: Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, Sociology, jmikels@nd.edu
Brief research overview: Global climate change poses an enormous social challenge. The separation of the natural world from the social is prevalent in the West. Many have argued that a paradigm of human exceptionalism is at the heart of our environmental crisis. Yet it is only through a realization of the connections between social behaviors and natural consequences that we can hope to mitigate climate change. This research explores the role of media depictions of climate change in influencing people’s perceptions of the separateness of humans from the natural world. Media coverage of climate change can generally take two forms: 1) a depiction of the environmental impacts of human caused climate change or 2) impacts on human societies due to the environmental changes associated with climate change. Using social psychological theory and an experimental approach, we ask if the effects of these types of coverage on attitudes toward the environment vary. In other words, as evidence of climate change and concurrent academic and media coverage grows, will individuals’ perceived separation from the natural world also change, and how might these perceptions be tied to different types of coverage on the topic of climate?
REU project description: An REU student would be asked to join in at the very beginning of this project. This summer will be spent collecting and analyzing background literature, crafting a research experiment, and possibly beginning data collection. It is expected that the student would work on the main project which tests different types of coverage of climate change and environmental perceptions and attitudes, while also exploring another area of their choosing. Potential areas of inquiry might be the role of gender in perceptions of climate change, a comparison of perceptions of media and scientific coverage of climate change, or measurement of environmental concerns. This portion of the project will be created in collaboration with Dr. Collett and Jessica Mikels-Carrasco.
Project Site Location: Social Interaction Laboratory, University of Notre Dame
Identifying potential physicochemical constraints on survival of the endangered clubshell mussel, Pleurobema clava, in the Tippecanoe River
Faculty Advisor: Jennifer L. Tank, Biological Sciences, tank.1@nd.edu
GLOBES Fellow/Mentor: Sarah S. Roley, Biological Sciences, sroley@nd.edu
Brief Research Overview: The clubshell mussel is a federally endangered species, but the cause of its demise in Midwestern rivers is unknown. It currently exists in the Tippecanoe River (Indiana), but has disappeared from several other Midwestern locations over the last few decades. The goal of this research is to determine whether sedimentation and eutrophication associated with agricultural activity are responsible for the decline of the clubshell mussel. Since the clubshell spends most of its life cycle buried in river sediments, we will use novel field approaches to characterize subsurface sediment conditions that may influence the mussels. Specifically, we will examine patterns in pore-water oxygen content, exchangeable ammonium concentrations, and sediment organic content. Field work will be performed across a gradient of sites in the Tippecanoe to determine if there is a relationship between clubshell populations and subsurface physicochemical conditions. This project is part of a larger effort to understand the biogeochemistry of agriculturally-influenced streams, and will be conducted in conjunction with nutrient cycling and restoration studies in surrounding watersheds.
REU Project Description The REU will assist with all field and lab work, including building and deploying pore water oxygen samplers, programming data sondes, collecting sediment and water samples, measuring organic content, and assisting with field surveys, in addition to completing an independent project that complements the larger project. The REU will also have the opportunity to participate in ongoing research on nutrient cycling, restoration, and management of agriculturally-influenced streams.
Project Site Location: The University of Notre Dame campus, with day trips to the Tippecanoe River in northern Indiana.
Dynamics of macaque-human population interactions and disease transmission
Faculty Advisors: Agustin Fuentes, Anthropology (afuentes@nd.edu); Hope Hollocher, Biological Sciences (hollocher.1@nd.edu)
Brief Research Overview: In evaluating the island wide population dynamics of long-tailed macaques as established in the context of an anthropogenically altered environments in Bali, Indonesia, this research seeks to elucidate the role of landscape on wildlife population structure, and in turn, on the transmission and population structure of the pathogens of those macaque populations. Because high densities of macaques overlap with high densities of humans in Bali, this research has important implications for understanding emerging infectious diseases.
REU Project Description: The opportunity exists for an REU student to develop an independent project in conjunction with our ongoing research efforts in Bali. These efforts revolve around four main areas of inquiry: 1) fine-scale analysis of patterns of genetic variability using multiple molecular markers to assess the population structure of macaques as influenced by geophysical, social, and anthropogenic landscapes, 2) assessment of aggregation, intensity, and prevalence of gastrointestinal pathogens to evaluate how population structure of macaques influences pathogen transmission across the island, 3) analysis of patterns of genetic variability of loci involved in immune function to evaluate the genetic response of macaques to differing pathogen loads, and 4) implementation of agent-based models to generate hypotheses about how landscape features, macaque behavior and genetics, and pathogen characteristics interact to impact disease transmission dynamics.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame
Gene expression under climate change
Faculty Advisor: Jessica Hellmann, Biological Sciences, jhellmann@nd.edu
Brief Research Overview: The project is part of a larger research program aimed at understanding the ecological and genetic factors that enable or preclude geographic range shifts under climate change.The research studies differential gene expression of butterflies collected from different locations within a species' range that are exposed to varying climatic conditions. The project aims to determine if populations tolerate changing climate differently depending on their evolutionary history, location within a species' range, and climatic tolerance.
REU Project Description:The undergraduate will assist in rearing two species of butterfly in growth chambers that simulate climatic change and help design a microarray experiment to detect differential gene expression among these experimental animals. In addition, the researcher would pursue an independent project using the experimental treatments. The butterflies come from threatened Garry oak ecosystems in coastal, western North America where the Hellmann Lab has been pursuing research over the last several years.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame
Abundance of large woody debris in northern Indiana and southern Michigan rivers
Faculty Advisor: Gary Lamberti, Biological Sciences (lamberti.1@nd.edu)
GLOBES Fellow/Mentor: Patrick Shirey (pshirey@nd.edu)
Brief Research Overview: Large woody debris (LWD) plays a critically important ecological role in streams and rivers. Large woody debris affects physical attributes of flowing water by increasing channel complexity, promoting channel stability, and decreasing stream erosion. As a result of these physical changes, LWD increases substrate for primary production and habitat for fish and invertebrates. Previous studies in the Lamberti Stream Ecology Laboratory have focused on the importance of wood structure to headwater streams. We currently have the tools to assess abundance of LWD in navigable river systems.
REU Project Description: The student will investigate the distribution and abundance of LWD in rivers in northern Indiana and southern Michigan using an efficient side-scan sonar technique developed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. This project will involve work in navigable rivers. For a description of Stream Ecology Lab research please see http://www.nd.edu/~strmeco/index.htm.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame
Malarial policies and control in Nnindye, Uganda
Faculty Advisors: Michael Ferdig, Biological Sciences (ferdig.1@nd.edu); Agustin Fuentes, Anthropology (afuentes@nd.edu)
GLOBES Fellow/Mentor: Becky Miller, Biological Sciences (bmiller6@nd.edu)
Brief Research Overview: Malaria is a major concern in Uganda, causing 70,000 to 100,000 deaths annually despite government programs and policies aimed at reducing the incidence and impact of malaria through standardization of protocols for drug treatment and improving health workers’ knowledge and skills in managing malaria. We aim at understanding where government policy is breaking down and how it plays a role in treating malaria at a local level. In addition to government policies, we will examine the prevalence of substandard drugs available in the private market and how it hinders malaria control and contributes to the evolution of drug resistance in the parasite.
REU Project Description: The undergraduate researcher will investigate Ugandan governmental policies and programs regarding malaria control and treatment and its implementation at the local level. This will be done through interviews, government documents, and information from surveys. He/she will also participate in collecting antimalarial drug samples from local drug sellers and assist in analysis of samples using mass spectrometry at Notre Dame.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame (International component in Nnindye, Uganda, is pending project approval)
A plant out of water: testing the influence of desiccation stress on the establishment and spread of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil
Faculty Advisor: David Lodge, Biological Sciences, dlodge@nd.edu
GLOBES Associate/Mentor: Matt Barnes, mbarnes3@nd.edu
Brief Research Overview: Biological invasion can be broken down into several steps including the entry of an invasive propagule into a transport pathway, the successful establishment of propagules in a novel environment, the spread of an invasive population in its new habitat, and often resulting ecological or economic impacts (Lodge et al 2006). Understanding each of these individual steps is essential to our ecological understanding of biological invasions, our ability to manage current invasions, and our chances of preventing future invasions. This REU proposal will study Eurasian watermilfoil Myriopyllum spicatum to learn more about the population spread step in the invasion process.
REU Project Description: The student will spend several days at the University of Notre Dame library becoming familiar with the literature on Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) and generating hypotheses. The student will also have the opportunity to travel to sites along the St. Joseph River and other local waterways to observe invasive populations of EWM in the field. By the second week of the project, the student will use the information and experience gained from the literature search, field observations, and conversations with graduate students and professors to develop and set up an independent experiment(s) to explore the over-land dispersal of EWM. If significant findings develop, the student may have the opportunity to present at a professional meeting and/or prepare a manuscript for publication.
Project Site Location: University of Notre Dame
The effect of car ownership on labor market outcomes
GLOBES Faculty Advisor: William Evans, Economics, wevans1@nd.edu
GLOBES fellow/mentor: Adam Bee, Economics and Econometrics, cbee@nd.edu
Brief research overview: Given that more people in the world now live in cities than not, commuting is an increasingly important environmental and health concern. Car ownership has been identified as a major issue for poverty alleviation, environmental degradation, and human health. Personal vehicles are responsible for over one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as contributing to habitat destruction. Qualitative interviews have identified lack of car ownership as a major barrier to employment for single mothers in the US. Car ownership has further health impacts through traffic collisions, obesity, and health care access. Previous research has established a positive correlation between car ownership and employment, hours worked, and wages, but there is little evidence demonstrating a causal link between the two. Understanding the car’s impact on labor markets can help inform future policies in transportation, poverty, environment, and health.
REU project description: The REU student will assist with obtaining data, organizing data, cleaning data, and analyzing data. Literature surveys and legal research will likely also be major components of the project. In addition to working on the main project, the student will also have the opportunity to develop and complete a separate project, possibly on the same topic and/or using the same data.
Project site location: University of Notre Dame
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