USDA/MSU WATER SCIENCE FELLOWS
GRADUATED USDA/MSU WATER SCIENCE FELLOWS
Robert M. Aiken (Grant Number 88-38420-3834) was awarded a Ph.D. degree in Soil Science under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Alvin J.M. Smucker in the Departmen of Crop and Soil Sciences on August 15, 1992. He is presently employed as a research scientist by the USDA/ARS Great Plains Research Center, Ft. Collins, Co.
Lisa L. Williams (Grant Number 88-38420-3834) was awarded a Ph.D. degree in environmental toxicology under the guidance/mentorship of Professor John P. Giesy in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, on June 15, 1992. She is presently employed as an Ecological Research Scientist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Interior, East Lansing, MI.
Thomas R. Benzing (Grant Number 88-38420-3834) was awarded a Ph.D. degree in Microbial Soil Science under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Steven a. Boyd in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences on August 15, 1992. He is presently employed as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Hartwick College, NY.
Vincent J. Kramer (Grant Number 90-38420-5203) was awarded a Ph.D. degree in environmental toxicology under the guidance/mentorship of Professor John P. Giesy in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife on August 31, 1994. He is presently employed as a Senior Research Scientist by the Rohm and Haas Company, Springhouse, PA.
Valerie J. Brady (Grant Number 91-38420-6111) was awarded a Ph.D. degree in Zoology under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Thomas M. Burton in the Department of Zoology in December 13, 1996. She is presently employed as a research scientist in in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Research Laboratory in Duluth, MN.
Timothy P. Laatsch (Grant Number 91-38420-6111) was awarded a MS degree in Microbial Ecology under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Michael J. Klug in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in December 13, 1996. Mr. Laatsch elected not to continue on to complete a Ph.D. degree because of personal reasons. He is presently employed by New Arcadia Brewing Company, Battle Creek, MI.
ONGOING USDA/MSU WATER SCIENCE FELLOWS
RALPH J. DICOSTY
Ralph J. DiCosty began his doctoral program in the Fall Semester of 1991 in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. The academic funding for his studies has been provided by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Water Sciences Fellowship Program (Grant Number 90-38420-5203). The three year term of his fellowship expired on August 31, 1994, however, his graduate studies continue to be supported as a graduate research assistant by the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.
Academic Progress
Mr. DiCosty has completed all course work pertaining to his graduate program.
Research Progress
Mr. DiCosty's research program, under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Sharon J. Anderson in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, involves the characterization of soil organic nitrogen through the use of nuclear magnetic resonance. Soil organic nitrogen derived from on-farm products, such as cover crops and manures is important in alternative farming systems because it offers economics and environmental benefits over commercial nitrogen fertilizers. However, the chemistry of organic nitrogen in soil is poorly understood. Therefore, his research goal to better elucidate the chemical structure of soil organic nitrogen, which will lead to a better understanding of its role in sustainable farming systems. Mr. DiCosty has supplemented his research program with trips to conferences sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the International Humic Substances Society.
Papers Presented
DiCosty, R.J., S. J. Anderson and K. Johnson. 1996. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Organic Nitrogen in Soil Particle-Size Fractions. Soil Science Society of America, Indianapolis, In.
DiCosty, R., K. Johnson and S.J. Anderson. 1995. Improved 15N-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Method to Identify Soil Organic Nitrogen Functional Groups. International Humic Substances Society, Atlanta, GA.
Anticipated Completion Date
December, 1997
JONATHAN J. KOLAK
Jonathan Kolak began his doctoral program in the fall semester of 1992 in the Department of Geological Sciences at Michigan State University. The academic funding for his studies was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Water Sciences Fellowship Program (Grant Number 91-38420-6111). The three-year term of this fellowship expired on August 31, 1996. However, he continues to be supported as a graduate research assistant by the Department of Geological Sciences.
Academic Progress
Mr. Kolak has completed all course work pertaining to his graduate program.
Research Progress
The primary goals of Mr. Kolak dissertation were to evaluate the potential transport of saline and/or isotopically light ground water into Saginaw Bay and the surround Saginaw Lowland Area (SLA) under the guidance/mentorship of Professor David T. Long in the Department of Geological Sciences. He has finished the evaluation of the porewater chemistry from bay sediments and documentated that elevated levels of dissolved solids are derived, at least in part, from brines contained in deeper geologic units. Presently, he is assessing the influence of regional ground water on river chemistry in the SLA with GIS packages (e.g., IDRISI, ARCVIEW) to overlay spatial coverages of river chemistry, ground water chemistry, and land use patterns to determine the dominant controls on river chemistry such as natural discharges of saline ground water vs anthropogenic effects. He will also employ geochemical models (e.g, WATEQ, NETPATH) to evaluate the process controlling water chemistry within the study area and which minerals may be influencing the water chemistry.
Papers Presented
KOLAK, Jonathan J., David T. Long, J. Grahame, Duncan F. Sibley, Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115, and Jane M. Matty, Department of Geology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859. Spatial Evaluation of Groundwater-surface Water Interaction in the Saginaw Bay Watershed, Lake Huron (Presented at the 1996 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, October 28-31, in Denver, CO)
Kolak, J.J., D.T. Long, G.J.Larson, D.F. Sibley, Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115, and J.M. Matty, Department of Geology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859. Gis Evaluation of the Interactions among Formation Brine, Near-surface Groundwater and Large Lakes (Presented at the 1996 International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Annual Meeting at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario)
Publications
Kolak, J.J., D.T. Long, J.M. Matty, G.J. Larson, D.F. Sibley and T.B. Councell. 1997. Geochemical and Stable Iostope Investigation of Ground-Water, Large-Lake Interactions in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. Submitted to Ground Water.
Kolak, J.J., D.T. Long, T.M. Beals, S.J. Eisenreich and D.L. Swackhamer. 1997. Anthropogenic Inventories and Historical and Present Accumulation Rates of Copper in Great Lakes Sediments. Submitted to Applied Geochemistry.
Anticipated Completion Date
December, 1997
KEVIN S. HENRY
Kevin S. Henry began his doctoral program in the fall semester of 1994 in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. The academic funding for his studies was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Water Sciences Fellowship Program (Grant Number 93-38420-8798). The three-year term of this fellowship will expire on August 31, 1997; however, his graduate studies will continue to be supported as a graduate research assistant by the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife while he completes his doctorate
.Academic Progress
In the past year Mr. Henry has completed all the course work pertaining to his graduate program. In addition, he served as the teaching assistant for the Aquatic Toxicology lecture class and, taught the laboratory section for that course.
Research Progress
The focus of his research under the guidance/mentorship of Professor John P. Giesy in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife relates to the toxicity of silicone fluids to sediment-dwelling macro invertebrates. Mr. Henry has conducted acute and chronic bioassays with several aquatic invertebrates and will soon begin multiple-species laboratory microcosm tests and artificial substrate field studies. They will be cunducted during the summer of 1997 in cooperation with Dr. Renato Baudo at the Italian Institute of Hydrobiology in Verbania, Italy. Dr. Baudo is well know for his research into the ecotoxicological effects of organic micropollutants in aquatic systems. The sorption and transport characteristics of silicone very closely resemble those of many organic compounds, and Dr. Baudo
's experience should prove very valuable for the studies planned. This collaboration is possible due to the grant of a Special International Dissertation Research Travel Allowance from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.In November, Mr. Henry attended the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), in Washington, D.C. In April he flew to Amsterdam for the European meeting of SETAC and then traveled to Cologne, Germany, to visit the laboratory of Dr. Fred Heimbach at the Bayer Corporation. Dr. Heimbach, a recognized expert in the use of microcosms in ecotoxicological research, has critiqued the methodology of his research program.
Anticipated Completion Date
May, 1998
MICHAEL J. HIGGINS
Michael J. Higgins began his doctoral program in the Fall Semester of 1994 in the Department of Entomology. The academic for his studies has been provided by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Water Sciences Fellowship Program (Grant Number 93-38420-8798). The three year term of this fellowship will expire on August 31, 1997; however, his graduate studies continue to be supported as a graduate research assistant by the Department of Entomology.
Academic Progress
Mr. Higgins has completed all the course work pertaining to his graduate program.
Research Progress
Mr. Higgin
's Ph.D. research problem involves elucidating the Invertebrate Trophic Relationships in Temporary Ponds. This work was approved by his Ph.D. guidance committee in March, 1996 and is being carried out under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Richard Merritt in the Department of Entomology. Mr. Higgins has completed two field research session in 1995 and 1996 with the third research period in progress.Mr. Higgins currently is looking at the importance of leaf detritus in temporary woodland pond food webs, conducting field microcosm experiments with mosquito larvae to examine their growth and survival with and without leaves. Leaves that fall when the pond is dry become colonized by terrestrialfungi. When the pond floods in the spring, these conditioned leaves become an important food source for pond organisms. Mosquito larvae graze the microbes that form on the surface of leaves in addition to filter-feeding fine particulate matter (detritus, bacteria, and algae) from the water column. Data from a similar experiment conducted last year indicated that larvae survive and grow just as well on only the suspended material within the water column as they do when leaves are present. Direct counts of planktonic microbes indicate an abundant microbial community present in the spring, dominated by bacteria and small forms of algae. This suggests that leaf detritus, in addition to directly supporting detritivorous organisms, is also an important source of nutrients (in the form of dissolved and fine particulate organic matter) for the planktonic microbial community. This abundant microbial community, in turn, helps support the diverse filter-feeding guild characteristic of temporary pond habitats.
In addition, Mr. Higgins is also looking at some predator-prey interactions with mosquito larvae and dytiscid beetle larvae. Specifically, he is examining indirect (non-lethal) effects of predators on mosquito larvae. Preliminary results indicate that predator presence alone results in slower growth and smaller adult mosquito size.
Meetings Attended, Papers Presented
Michigan Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting, Traverse City, MI, January, 1995. Attended.
Entomological Society of America, North Central Branch Annual Meeting, Lexington, Ky, March, 1995. Attended.
North American Benthological Society Annual Meeting, Keystone, Co, May, 1995. Attended.
Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, December, 1995. Paper presented:
ATreeholes and Temporary Ponds; Habitats for Opportunists@Michigan Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting, Lansing, MI, February, 1996. Paper presented:
ABig Larvae in a Small Pond: Evolutionary Strategies of Insects in Temporary Ponds@Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference, East Lansing, MI, April, 1996. Co-chaired a seminar on the use of photography in research.
North American Benthological Society Annual Meeting, Kailspell, Mt, May, 1996. Poster presented:
AProcedures for the Functional Analysis of Invertebrate Communities of the Kissimmee River-Floodplain Ecosystem@Entomological Society of American Annual Meeting, Louisville, KY, December, 1996. Paper presented:
ALife in the Fast Lane: Dynamics of Community Structure in Vernal and Aestival Ponds@Michigan Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting, Traverse City, MI, February, 1997. Paper presented:
APredator-Prey Interactions in Temporary Woodland Pools@Publications
Merritt, R.W., J.R. Wallace, M.J. Higgins, M.K. Alexander, M.B. Berg, W.T. Morgan, K.W. Cummins, and B. Vandeneeden. 1996. Procedures for the functional analysis of invertebrate communities of the Kissimmee River-floodplain ecosystem. Florida Scientist 59:216-274 (see attached).
Anticipated Completion Date
May, 1998
KAREN G. WAYLAND
Karen G. Wayland began her doctoral program in the Fall Semester of 1996 in the Department of Resource Development at Michigan State University. The academic funding for her studies was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Water Sciences Fellowship Program (Grant Number 95-38420-2303). The three year term of this fellowship will expire on August 31, 1999.
Academic Progress
During her initial two semesters Ms. Wayland completed courses in Microbial Ecology (MIC 425), Earth Systems Science (GLG 801), Organizational Theory (RD 802), Resource Development Policy (RD 801), Physico Chemical Processes (ENE 802), and Forestry in International Development (FOR 450). Her Ph.D. program coursework requirement was approved by the faculty guidance committee in April, 1997. She plans to have completed this portion of her program by the end of summer semester, 1998.
Research Progress
Ms. Wayland has selected Professor Scott G. Witter in the Department of Resource Development to serve as her research/academic advisor/mentor. Ms. Wayland is in the preparatory phase of selecting a specific Ph.D. research project. She has been invited to Costa Rica by the Escuela de Agricultura de Region Tropical Humida (EARTH College) this summer to learn more about agricultural practices in the tropics. She will use this opportunity to develop a dissertation research problem and to collect information on the school
's sustainable agricultural projects for a peer reviewed journal article. Ms. Wayland plans to study agricultural nonpoint source pollution and watershed management in the coastal lowlands of Costa Rica for her Ph.D. dissertation research. She has already identified several possible research problems associated with banana production:The government of Costa Rica recently required that banana plantations monitor the quality of surface water flowing through cultivated areas, but there are no recommended procedures for timing, locations, or frequency of sampling. Several MSU and EARTH college faculty members are interested in implementing a monitoring program that would generate data to develop monitoring procedures for banana plantations.
Most of the available literature on banana plantations deals with on-farm activities. Little information is available on the off-farm impacts of banana production. Accordingly, she is considering a project which would track fungicides through a watershed and connect changes in resource use to changes in water quality.
EARTH College has designed their banana processing plant to be water efficient, but discharges from the plant still contain high levels of organic matter and pesticides. A wetland is being constructed outside the packaging plant to treat the discharge water. A water quality component will have to be included in their study. This also could be built in to her dissertation project.
In addition to defining potential dissertation research problem, Ms. Wayland has identified several other objectives for her travel to Costa Rica. She has initiated a literature review of the environmental impacts of banana production, but information is scarce in the United States. At EARTH College she will have access to an extensive library of resources on banana cultivation and processing and should be able to complete her literature review after this summer. Her second objective is to continue to improve her Spanish language proficiency. At the EARTH College she will be able to hire a language tutor and will be living and working with people from all over Central America, most of whom do not speak English. Finally, she will established a network of contacts in the Costa Rican community that can help her with everyday logistics when she returns to Costa Rica to conduct her dissertation research.
Anticipated Completion Date
May, 2000
MERRY S. RILEY
Merry S. Riley began her doctoral program in the Fall Semester of 1996 in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Michigan State University. The academic funding for her studies was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture under the Water Sciences Fellowship Program (Grant Number 95-38420-2303). The three year term of this fellowship will expire on August 31, 1999.
Academic Progress
During her initial two semesters Ms. Riley completed courses in: Pollutants in the Soil Environment (CSS 829), Microbial Ecology (CSS 829), Integrated Approaches to Risk Assessment (ANS 827), and Biological Information Systems (ENT 442). Each of these classes presented information/methods either necessary for her research project or her understanding of related concepts/principles. She plans to have completed the coursework portion of her program by the end of fall semester, 1998.
Research Progress
Ms. Riley is presently engaged in research involving a 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid degrading soil bacteria. Under the guidance/mentorship of Professor Michael B. Klug in the Department of Microbiology. The degrading soil bacteria isolate has been subjected to 1000 generations of evolution, and presently 18
Aevolved lines@ have been derived from this ancestor. Ms. Riley is responsible for many of the analysis of the phenotypic characteristics of the ancestor and the evolved lines, and she is currently trying to perfect a sand column experiment which will compare the adhesion capabilities of the strains. This work has significant implications in terms of bacterial classification and phenotypic characteristics. She is collaborating with Dr. Richard Lenski and Dr. Terry Marsh on a manuscript depicting this work, and she expects to submit it in late summer. In terms of future study, she is becoming involved in research sponsored by the Dow Chemical Company which will focus on the microbial community characteristics that affect the degradation rates of synthetic organic compounds.Anticipated Completion Date
December, 2000