Some human activities intended for good reason, have terrible effects, particularly with sand-mining. Senior biology major Lauren Chartier studied the effects sand-mining has on soil quality because soil biology, chemistry, and physical structure are key determinants of unique qualities that ultimately determine what can grow there. Chartier analyzed land-use (LU) histories twenty-six years … [Read more...] about Sand-mining’s Unintended Effects
Archives for February 2020
Microplastics in Our Rivers
Earth and Environmental Sciences student Thanh-Binh Duong has been conducting ecotoxicological research, investigating the occurrence and toxicity of microplastics in freshwater systems. She has researched the presence of microplastics in sediment and water samples collected throughout the Potomac and Rappahannock River, and analyzed the interactive effects of microplastics and organochlorine … [Read more...] about Microplastics in Our Rivers
Studying the Impact of Coal Combustion
One of the largest means of producing electricity is through the combustion of coal. Coal ash, its waste product, contains trace metals that can become mobile in the environment. Catherine Crowell, a sophomore majoring in environmental science, examined trace metal contamination within sediment and water samples collected near a coal-burning power station using ICP-OES. Synthetic leachates were … [Read more...] about Studying the Impact of Coal Combustion
UMW Students Win Awards at the Joint Mathematics Meeting
Mathematics students Hannah Frederick, Ashley Scurlock and Isabella Gransbury traveled to the 2020 Joint Mathematics Meeting in Denver, CO, January 2020--the largest mathematics conference in the world! The three UMW Mathematics majors presented their research with almost 400 other students in the undergraduate poster session of the conference. Hannah's poster--Using Circulant Matrices for … [Read more...] about UMW Students Win Awards at the Joint Mathematics Meeting
Students research American immigrant experiences at the National Archives
In fall semester 2019, Dr. Krystyn Moon and a group of fourteen students spent a semester of in-depth research about the experiences of various immigrant groups to the United States. Their work included three trips to Washington, D.C. to conduct research in the records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the National Archives. The students worked in teams to produce three research … [Read more...] about Students research American immigrant experiences at the National Archives