with student researchers
The academic year culminated with a diverse array of research presentations. The following projects are but a small sampling of the work undertaken by more than 300 students.
native plants reduce co2 Conserving or restoring native coastal sage scrub
can reduce atmospheric CO2 over Southern California, said Megan Wheeler ’13. Working with biology Professors Robert
Drewell and Wallace Meyer (Pomona College), Wheeler spent the past year studying the carbon storage capability of coastal sage scrub and non- native grasslands. She set up 24 plots in three habitats—coastal sage scrub, recovering coastal sage scrub (transitional) and non-native grass- lands—at the Bernard Field Station. She measured the carbon content of the above
ground biomass, woody and leafy litter and the top 10 centimeters of soil. To avoid cutting down and weighing large areas of shrubs, Wheeler cre- ated predictive, linear models for each species. Wheeler found that coastal sage scrub and
transitional habitats stored signifi cantly more carbon than grassland habitats. Her soil samples revealed that transitional habitats stored the most carbon in the soil. “This has important implications for conserva-
tion and restoration of coastal sage scrub,” said Wheeler. “In addition to increasing needed biodi- versity, we can also get a carbon storage benefi t by conserving or restoring these areas.”
Important Ideas for Science & Citizenship Tomorrow’s scientifi c leaders must learn effective communication in order to engage audiences. Under the guidance of Paul Steinberg, professor of political science and environmental policy, 15 students studied these techniques and provided concise summaries of their research on technically intensive, socially relevant topics, ranging from nuclear power and Internet security to climate change, the potential domestic use of unmanned drones and other topics. Here’s some of what pre- senters shared with community members:
•
Recent research conducted at the Bernard Field Station (above) includes study of costal sage scrub and non-native grasslands.
Internet Security. “The Internet is not secure and was never built that way,” said Jess Hester ’13. Thieves can steal your identity by getting just one password. She advocated a two-step verifi - cation system as a safeguard method.
SUMMER 2013 Har vey Mudd College 15
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40