Lena Friedman
Research and Publications
Education
"Searching for Streams: Perceptions of Environmental Standards and Support in a Pennsylvania Public High School"
Senior capstone research in education, Carlisle, PA
Janurary-May 2019
Abstract:
Fostering environmental literacy in children and students is vital to ensuring they will have the skills and knowledge to tackle the increasing number of environmental challenges present in the world today. However, much research indicates that these types of programs are not conducted or not adequately supported, particularly at the high school level. This is a case study of a Pennsylvania public high school, looking at teacher perceptions of the importance of environmental education as well as support for those programs and standard in their classrooms and school. The study was conducted as four semi-structured interviews with short pre-surveys, and all responses was coded and thematically analyzed with regards to a theory of environmental education (Hollweg et al., 2011). The results show that while teachers in the study understood the importance of environmental education, could summarize best practices, and showed a desire to integrate environmental topics more fully into their classrooms, they identified multiple significant barriers which prevent them from doing so. These barriers range from school to state level and include areas such as lack of funding, problems with standards, and lack of professional development.
This full paper is available elsewhere on the portfolio
Biology/
Ecology
“Comparison of Red-spotted Newt (Notopthalmus viridescens) Diet in Southern Pennsylvania”
Independent Research, Carlisle, PA (2017-2018). Completed with assistance from Walter Meshaka (Pennsylvania Museum of Natural History) and Gene Wingert (Dickinson College).
Abstract:
This investigation focused on the stomach contents of the predacious, aquatic newt Notophthalmus viridescens or Red-spotted Newt (Rafinesque, 1820) from three locations in southern Pennsylvania: Jerry’s Flat in Michaux State Forest, Powdermill Nature Reserve in the Laurel Highlands, and Boyd’s Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area. Prey items were identified, counted, and measured for both populations. Prey categories and overall prey size were related to sex and body size of the newts within and between sites. Jerry’s Flat newts were also found to have an inverse relationship between snout vent length and prey size, while Boyd’s Big Tree newts had a positive relationship and there as none detected in the Powdermill population. The populations’ diets differed between sites and, for Boyd’s Big Tree, between seasons as well. Population samples were loaned by the State Museum of Pennsylvania. This research provides baseline data than can add to general knowledge about the ecology of vernal ponds, which are a keystone habitat in the Pennsylvania. This sort of information is vital for continued natural history research and conservation efforts.
“Water and Land Use: assessing differing stream quality through macroinvertebrate indexing in residential, agricultural, and forested areas.”
Independent Research, Carlisle, PA (2016).
Abstract:
There is a need for more information on the differing impacts of human land usage on small stream quality. In this study, macroinvertebrate and chemical samples were taken from three streams that run through primarily residential, agricultural, and forested land areas. Analysis showed differing water quality in the three sites, with the residential stream as the lowest and the forested control stream as the highest. These results help indicate areas of greatest concern for better use practices as well as locations where small streams are most likely to be at risk of low water quality.
“A comparison of the effects of treating sunflowers (Helianthus sp.) with fish fertilizer or biogas effluent from the Dickinson College Farm.”
Small group research project, Carlisle, PA (Spring 2018).
Abstract:
Biogas effluent and fish emulsion are both natural and organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers; biogas effluent can also have the benefit of being produced on-site. This study seeks to determine the efficacy of both of these alternatives to conventional using growth measurements and as well as photosynthetic efficiency testing with a LiCOR 6400 photosynthesis system, using dwarf sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) as a tentative proxy for other crop species. Statistical analysis found significantly less growth (P=0.04) in the high concentration fish emulsion treatment when compared to the control, as well as progressively and significantly lower photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) as concentrations of fish emulsion increased. Analysis of photosynthetic efficiency also found a significant improvement in the biogas effluent treatment between from both the control and low concentration treatments to the high concentration treatment. The data from this study suggests that biogas effluent is a better choice for an alternative fertilizer and is less likely to cause accidental nutrient poisoning. Further research should be done to determine the effects of these fertilizers on other crop species.