SUMMARY OF POSTER ABSTRACTS
MAKING LEARNING VISIBLE 2008
ENV 150
1.Project title:Ozone: 1985 Protocol on Substances that deplete the ozone layer.
Student names: YU HISIN KAREN, DIERKS EVAN, SULLIVAN-MURDOCH CHRIS.
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
We will be presenting our project on a poster board with all three of us there to answer any questions anyone might have. It will consist of information, along with pictures to back up that information. The information will be on when the treaty was formed, and how. In addition, we will show pictures of how much the ozone has actually depleted from dangerous substances. We will give facts on statistics that either help the protocol or hinder it. We also want to show a timeline on what the protocol has accomplished. By the time of the presentation, we will be very knowledgeable of the topic, and ready to share and teach the issue. Since our topic has many different laws come to play throughout the years we will explain its evolution. We will be using multiple colors with font that is readable for the viewer. Any citations will be mark accordingly.
2. National Forest Management Act
Nicolle Southwick, Julianne Paulson, Mike Freytag
Environmental Science 150
Katie Barndt
Poster Presentation
Our poster will showcase the National Forest Management Act signed by Gerald Ford on October 22, 1976. Our group wants to illustrate the history behind this act, the events leading up to the enactment and the need America had before the NFMA was created. The act has many goals including reforestation, renewable resource programs, national forest system resource planning, transportation systems, limitation quotas for timber, and acquisitions of national forest lands, to name a few. Nicolle is researching the history of the act and will display this on the poster, including the state of the nation and its problems with the environment and why this act is so important. Julianne and Mike are researching two case studies. Julianne is studying the restoration of the habitat for grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. This requires the restoration of the trees there. Grizzlies depend for food on seeds from high-elevation whitebarkpine, which in turn depends on increasingly scarce fires to keep out competing trees (particularly subalpine fir) and to open spaces for birds ( Clark’s nutcracker) to cache seeds—the main way whitebark pine propagates. Whitebark pine is also threatened by an exotic disease (white pine blister rust) and a native forest pest (mountain pine beetle) that has now reached higher elevations due to warmer temperatures caused by climate change. The sheer ecological complexity of the recovery challenge, coupled with the interconnectedness of the threats—fire exclusion, invasive species, and climate change—dictates a strong landscape-scale restoration focus through interagency and interdisciplinary partnerships.
3. Poster Title: The Clean Air Act
Students: Jeremy Mohn, John Winkler, Maurice Willaredt, and Jessica Fuentes.
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barnet
The poster covers an historical overview of the clean air act with case studies and pictures regarding the clean air act.
4. Title: Is it safe to drink?
Student: Arthi Chand
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
Abstract: In the presentation I would like to cover what the act is talking about which in my case is safe drinking water. I would like to give some basic information on the act. Like how drinking water affects your health and what you need to know in order to insure you are safely drinking. I would mainly like to focus my presentation on Washington but I might compare other states in our country to those of countries such as India and Africa where water is running at an all time low. I would also like to talk about the regulations in which you know when the water is at a safe enough level to drink. Also I would like to talk about the Law and Statues along with Rules and Guidance related to the act. I will also make a list of contaminants that are in the water and what affect they have on humans when consumed. Of course I will also mention where the water comes from and what we are doing to protect that water. I will also have pictures the safe drinking water act and how is works and also with graphs to show drinking water comparisons. And to finish it off I would like to educate the public on what they can do to help make our drinking water safe for future generations.
5. Poster title:National Environmental Policy Act
Student Names: Marta Unterschute and Dustin Pickert
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
NEPA Background Synopsis
The National Environmental Policy Act was first enacted by President Nixon in 1970. It was created to prevent further degradation and preserve our environment. The acts main goals are to give the Council on Environmental Quality power to oversee environmental impacts. Companies also are required to create environmental impact statements (EIS) so they can admit what they are doing publically. Although the law does not prohibit environmental destruction it acts as a supplement to other environmental policies. Most of the goals of the act have been met until in 2005 when Congress added a clause exempting energy companies from meeting NEPA standards. Although the bill has helped, there are still controversies surrounding it.
6. Title:The Endangered Species Act
Students: Hilary Andersen, Becky Hansen, Courtney Kessler,
Class:Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
Abstract: Our poster will include a brief history of the Endangered Species Act and what prompted Congress to pass it, two case studies to examine its effectiveness, and a section on what the E.S.A. is doing now.
7. Title: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
Students:KyungJin Lee, Cindy Leung, Christina Johnny Hamson
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor:Katie Barndt
Abstract
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species.
Our groupis focusing on different animals, like elephants and panda.We are going to talk about some programs and laws that support these animals from being captured and killed.And also some background history and information of this convention, and the "Text of the Convention".
8. Title: The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972
Students: Jessica Luchsinger, Jillian Faker, Lauryth Dwyer
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
Poster presentation
History:The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act was put into action on October 23, 1972. The act came about in response to the excessive and careless practice of ocean dumping; including radioactive and hazardous waste material, into the coastal water of the United States. Ocean ecosystems began to show strain. Oxygen deprived areas known as “dead zones” were being discovered along both coastlines. It was clear that environmental standards had to be put in place. The Marine Protection, Sanctuaries and Research Act, in concordance with international treaties helps to regulate the world’s oceans.
Case Study One:The Hylebos waterway in Tacoma, Wa. Is a highly contaminated waterway that is now being closely monitored and cleaned by the E.P.A's implemented Superfund. Due to the massive amounts of toxic sediment run off from the Asarco plant, several marine animal species were harmed and placed onto the near extinction list. After several years of the company’s closure and thousands of dollars in clean up, the Hylebos waterway still has a long way to come before it will be sediment and toxic free.
Case Study Two:This Portion of the poster will examine oil dumping by international companies on the high seas in violation of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries act of 1972, and the impact on the Washington State. The presentation will include some of the scope of the damage done by illegal oil dumping on the Washington coast. I will look at the goals, problems and implementation of solutions regarding the act, and examine what the effects have been, for good or bad, in terms of their social, cultural, and environmental impact.
9. Title: Toxic Substance Control Act
Group Members: Iris Davies, Jennie Huang, and Deborah Barnes
Class: Environmental Science 150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
Overview: The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) passed by United States Congress on October 11, 1976 and became effective two years later on January 1, 1977. Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), TSCA screens and regulates all new and already existing chemical substances. Under TSCA, EPA has the authority to limit or prohibit the manufacture and distribution of substances that are determined by the TSCA to cause harmful risks to the health of the environment and humans.
Our objective for this poster project is to present several case studies where TSCA was enforced to serve its purpose and inform our viewers about the importance of this environmental policy.
Case Study #1: Lead paint
Denver based Apartment Investment and Management Company (AIMCO) tested and cleaned up lead-based paint hazards in more than 130,000 apartments in 47 states as well as Washington, D.C. and paid a $129,580 penalty in a TSCA settlement January 16, 2002. That was the largest penalty and largest number of units involved in a lead disclosure settlement.
AIMCO failed to warn tenants of the possibility of lead based paints in their homes, which violated the in violation of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act. However, the company voluntarily came forward with the disclosure, pleasing the EPA Administrator.
Case Study #2: Perfluorooctanoic Acid
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is used to manufacture Teflon and other non-stick and stain-resistant products. PFOA has been detected in a high percentage of samples of human blood and house dust taken from homes in areas such as Maine, New York, Oregon and California, and it has contaminated drinking water in some communities in West Virginia and Minnesota.
DuPont and 3M, which manufactured the chemical and used it in manufacturing processes, were aware of the persistence and potentially harmful health effects for many years, without notifying the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as required under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA will fine DuPont a min of $13 million and a potential max of $300 millionfor its violation of TSCA.
10. Title: Clean Water Act
Presenters: Ryan Alexander, Evan Kent, YoshmichiMakihara, John Milton, Brooke Ziegler, Environmental Science - ENV150
Instructor: Katie Barndt
A poster presentation
Abstract:
The Clean Water Act is the primary piece of legislation by which the federal government of the United States enforces water quality regulations. It is an important piece of legislation covering the research of new solutions for water pollution problems, grants for treatment options, and the regulation and permit of enforceable standards for activities involving public bodies of water. We have case studies on wetlands, hydrological power, aquifers, and the impacts of construction on water quality. Our presentation will explore the ramifications of the Clean Water Act, the history of the legislation, how it works, what it affects, the relevant government bodies (Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state and local regulatory agencies like the Washington State Department of Ecology), and how they use the Act to regulate our water.
ATOMS TO ECOSYSTEMS
11. Students: Matthew Manges, Post Baccalaureate, Physical Therapy, North Seattle Community College
Mentor: Kalyn Owens, Chemistry, North Seattle Community College
Mentor: Ann Murkowski, Biology, North Seattle Community College
Class: . Atoms to Ecosystems: An Interdisciplinary and Community-based Program for Science Majors
Mounting evidence suggests that the traditional focus on content knowledge acquisition in isolated discipline–specific classrooms is not preparing students to be "flexible" thinkers in an increasingly interdisciplinary scientific community and in a rapidly changing global marketplace. In response to this notion, we have designed a post-secondary program for science majors (Atoms to Ecosystems) that makes learning interdisciplinary and makes learning about community by providing opportunities for students to engage in daily shared learning experiences that drive classroom activities. This particular study is focused on gaining a better understanding of how students in our Atoms to Ecosystems program think and problem solve at the interface between chemistry and biology with a specific emphasis on understanding how shared experiences drive progress in the affective dimensions of learning (such as engagement, motivation and confidence). To document learning in process we utilized the "capture method", which involves videotaping a group of learners as they work to create meaning of a complex interdisciplinary idea. In this study, we document a group of students struggling together to represent and understand the structure and function of the membrane bound protein Aquoporin, which required an understanding of both chemistry, biology, and how to problem solve at the interface of these two disciplines. We then see how the story affects them, their classmates, the facilitator, other faculty, and ultimately leads to a better understanding of the power of a community of learners.
12. Title: Computer Model Explores the Potential for Tracking HIV Infection via the Noninvasive Use of Infrared Spectroscopy
Student: Anthony Evans, Post Baccalaureate/Personal Enrichment
Faculty: Ann Murkowski/Kalyn Owens
13. Using PCR to Identify Coliform Sources in Urban Wetlands
Students: Nancy Bussman, Pre-Pharmacy, Mat Solomon Oceanography, Julia Purdy, Marine Biology, Yana Kazak, Medicine
Mentored By: Ann Murkowski, Biology and, Kalyn Owens, Chemistry
Class: Atoms to Ecosystems
Recent studies suggest that Thornton Creek, like many of Seattle’s urban creeks do not meet Washington State’s standards for water quality; contamination of this waterway from point and non point source pollution has resulted in degradation of water quality and aquatic habitats.[1] Point sources such as municipal and industrial wastewater have been easier to identify, whereas little attention has been directed towards non point sources such as fertilizers, storm runoff, and fecal contamination. Advances in molecular microbiology such as PCR amplification and DNA sequencing provide new methods to address non point sources. For example, fecal coliforms can be traced back to an origin, by using primers with specific DNA sequences unique to its species. We used PCR to identify the source of coliforms in the wetlands of Thornton Creek at North Seattle Community College. Specifically, we are interested in comparing the coliform communities at the entrance and exit to this system to determine the relative contributions of human, pet and wildlife bacteria. To do this, water samples were collected at three sites including high flow and low flow input days. All samples were then cultured on high and medium nutrient plates in order to quantify the bacteria present. PCR amplification was performed on fecal coliform colonies, using a universal 16S primer in addition to forward and reverse primers designed for specific sequence markers of human, pet and wildlife feces. Results from this study will not only clarify the source of fecal coliforms present in this urban wetland, but also allow the city of Seattle to develop an action plan to address such non point source pollutants.
14. Title: Chemical Characterization of Particulate Matter using GC-MS and Scanning Electron Microscopy
Students: Kristina Gill, Sophomore, Nanotechnology; Anna Grimes, Post-Baccalaureate, Naturopathic Medicine; Rebekah Hermosillo, Junior, Radiology; Josh McLaughlin, Sophomore, Chemistry
Mentor: Kalyn Owens, Chemistry; Ann Murkowski, Biology
Class: Atoms to Ecosystems
Atmospheric particles from automotive emissions have been shown to be key players in a significant number of bronchial related human illnesses. It is believed that these nanometer-sized particles disrupt mitochondrial function by cell membrane penetration and electron transport chain interference There is preliminary evidence that the presence of transition metals and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on these particles are responsible for the documented disruption in cellular function1, but the details of the underlying toxicological mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we take the first step towards gaining a better understanding of the health effects of combustion particulate matter by characterizing and quantifying the PAHs present on atmospheric particles collected in proximity to a major interstate freeway. The particles are collected using a size fractionated particle collector (ChemVol ® High Volume Cascade Impactor), then extracted via solid phase extraction process, and analyzed using GC-MS. Furthermore, the particles are visualized and the base elements are identified using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). The presence of PAHs on the particulate matter has been documented and SEM imaging will show the elemental makeup of the particulate matter. Future studies of mitochondrial toxicity will elucidate the connection between PAHs and health related effects due to particulate matter.