Grantee Research Project Results
2003 Progress Report: Wyoming EPA/EPSCoR Proposal - Strategic Improvement Plan
EPA Grant Number: R829426E01Title: Wyoming EPA/EPSCoR Proposal - Strategic Improvement Plan
Investigators: Bergman, Harold L. , Hall, Robert O. , Ben-David, Merav
Current Investigators: Hall, Robert O. , Ben-David, Merav
Institution: University of Wyoming
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: July 17, 2002 through September 30, 2004 (Extended to July 14, 2005)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 17, 2002 through September 30, 2003
Project Amount: $39,269
RFA: EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: EPSCoR (The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research)
Objective:
The objective of the Wyoming U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPA/EPSCoR) Project was to facilitate/accelerate the progress of at least two young researchers toward achievement of nationally competitive status. Further, the research provides opportunities for enhancing environmentally related human resources through the involvement of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. The conduct of the Science and Engineering Environment Research (SEER) project entitled "Influence of bio-pollution on ecosystem processes: the impact of introduced lake trout on streams, predators, and forests in Yellowstone National Park" plays an important role in sharpening communication with state and federal agencies concerned with the environmental sciences and natural resource management. Site visits by experts from some of the country's top research universities, and invited campus presentations by nationally recognized authorities, enriches University researchers and students.
Progress Summary:
The Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) component of the Wyoming EPA/EPSCoR Project already has met many of its stated objectives. Both Drs. Hall and Ben-David were able to obtain additional funds for unfounded components of this study from other sources (such as the University of Wyoming-National Park Service [NPS] Research Center), as well as for other projects (including the National Science Foundation [NSF], U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and state agencies), thus enhancing their nationally competitive status. In addition, based on preliminary results from this project, Dr. Ben-David was able to obtain seed money from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for an expansion of the research. Finally, Dr. Ben-David was invited to present results from this study at the North American Benthological Society in Athens, GA, in May 2003, further demonstrating the contribution of this project to the enhancement of the career of these two young investigators.
Through the SEER project and with support from the SIP, two graduate students (Jamie R. Crait, M.S., and Lusha M. Tronstad, Ph.D.) currently are being trained. Lusha has just received an M.S. degree from the University of Alabama for her work on invertebrate ecology. In addition, five undergraduate students (Jessica Boyd, Kaithryn Ott, Christine Fisher, Robert Eddy, and Scott Schaffer) have participated in fieldwork and are assisting with laboratory work and analyses. Two of these students (Jessica Boyd and Kaithryn Ott) also are conducting their own research projects within the larger project as independent studies. Jessica Boyd is developing methods for extracting DNA from feces of river otters to develop population estimates for these carnivores. Kaithryn Ott is investigating the effects of otter fertilization on growth of understory plants. One student, Christine Fisher, used her experience from this project to obtain a position as a technician, working on an NSF-sponsored project examining the impact of fishes on ecosystem function in Venezuela. These students were able to obtain additional funding for their research through the NSF EPSCoR Program at the University of Wyoming, and one student is seeking additional funding for the summer of 2004, from the Wyoming National Aeronautic and Space Administration space grant consortium. The large number of female students recruited to work on this project is in accord with the mission of the University of Wyoming to target underrepresented populations in student activities.
Since the initiation of the project in the summer of 2002, two progress reports were submitted to the NPS. These reports facilitated increased communication between researchers of the project, park biologists, as well as park managers on the control of lake trout biopollution. We are collaborating actively with park scientists, and one scientist, Dr. Todd Koel, is a member of Ms. Tronstad’s dissertation committee. Future research and management actions currently are being discussed. Because results of the SEER project are applicable to many aquatic systems in Wyoming and other western states, these reports were distributed to the Bureau of Reclamation, and they will be distributed to state agencies within the next few weeks.
In March 2003, Dr. C. T. Robbins from Washington State University was invited to the University of Wyoming to evaluate the SEER project, provide input to Drs. Hall and Ben-David, and deliver a departmental seminar. Dr. Robbins is an expert on linkages between aquatic and terrestrial systems through his work on bears in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. This spring Drs. Mary Power and Jennifer Tank were invited to provide similar evaluation and input and to deliver a departmental seminar. Both Dr. Power, from the University of California at Berkley, and Dr. Tank, from Notre Dame, are well-known stream ecologists. Their visits will inspire female students because Drs. Power and Tank are excellent examples of successful female field biologists.
Future Activities:
Both Drs. Hall and Ben-David submitted abstracts to present the findings of the SEER project in professional meetings in summer 2004. Similarly, both graduate students plan to present their findings at international meetings in May (LMT) and June (JRC) 2004. Also, Drs. Hall and Ben-David are planning to continue the project beyond the funding period provided by EPA/EPSCoR, and they are seeking additional support through other programs. At least two more undergraduate students will be supported through the SEER project and the SIP in the summer of 2004. They will be recruited with the intent of increasing participation of minorities. Because recruitment of local high school students has been unsuccessful so far, Dr. Ben-David is planning on presenting this project at the "Junior Science and Humanities Symposium" in April 2004, with the hope of recruiting students for future projects.
The two graduate students on the project are preparing three manuscripts for publication. These manuscripts will be submitted before July 2004. This spring, Drs. M. Power and J. Tank will provide evaluation and input, and will deliver a departmental seminar at the University of Wyoming. Both scientists specialize in linking nitrogen biogeochemistry with animal-derived fluxes.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 19 publications | 7 publications in selected types | All 4 journal articles |
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Crait JR, Ott KE, Ben-David M. Transfer of nutrients from Yellowstone Lake to riparian forests by river otters: effects on plant isotopes, growth, and community composition. Ecology. |
R829426E01 (2003) R829426E02 (2003) |
not available |
Supplemental Keywords:
ecological effects, ecosystem, ecosystem protection, environmental exposure, indicators, terrestrial, aquatic, analytical, surveys, western states, Wyoming, WY, Yellowstone National Park, Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, EPSCoR, environmental indicators., RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Water, ECOSYSTEMS, Aquatic Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, State, estuarine research, Ecology, Ecological Monitoring, Biochemistry, Ecology and Ecosystems, environmental indicators, algal blooms, marine biology, lakes, water quality, estuaries, coastal ecosystems, bioassessment, strategic improvement plan, Wyoming, biopollution, aquatic ecosystemsRelevant Websites:
http://www.uwyo.edu/enr/enrschool.HTM Exit
http://www.uwyo.edu/bhall/ Exit
http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/Zoology/faculty/Ben-David/ Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.