Tag: Environmental Studies

Hyperpluralism: The Composition of Organized Interests in the Age of the Internet and Social Media (Brian Alexander)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/2/2025 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/25/2025.

Project Description

Social media and the internet have changed the nature of special interests and coalitions politics. This project develops a unique data set of organized interests in the era of social media, allowing for empirical tests of the changing nature of power in American politics. Specifically, the data set accounts for the formation of online political coalitions, including the issues, types of activity, and numbers of participants. This data can then be compared to historical data on traditional interest groups and political coalitions.

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Prerequisites

A student should be comfortable with statistical analysis (e.g. multiple regression, a statistical package such as STATA or R) and they should have completed at least some course work in social network analysis. This project will require regressions, SNA, and a desire to improve in using these tools. The project will require very intensive data gathering and subsequent analysis.

Special Comments

The project is part of my book project, where I am developing a theory of political power called “hyperpluralism.” The student will be a partner in developing empirical evidence and proofs of this theory. I will rely on your thoughtfulness and ambition to contribute to this research, which has the potential to be groundbreaking, if we’re successful.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/2/2025

Estimated End Date: 7/25/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 1

Research Location: Hybrid

Contact Information: Brian Alexander (email: alexanderb@wlu.edu)

Empire of Guano: Tracing the Socio-Ecological Impact of Bird Dung Extraction from the 19th Century to the Present (Mauricio Betancourt)

Remote: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/9/2025 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/18/2025.

Project Description

This project examines the historical significance of guano (bird dung) as a global commodity and its lasting impact on contemporary issues such as agriculture, legislation, and global trade. The student researcher(s) will contribute to investigating the evolution of Peruvian guano extraction throughout the 20th century and into the present, focusing on its ecological and social aspects. The goal is to establish a historical continuum from the 19th century to the present. Tasks may include online archival research, literature reviews, analyzing data, and co-drafting sections of a book manuscript. This project offers hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research, data analysis, and academic writing.

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Prerequisites

Interest in environmental history, ecology, sociology, and global studies. Interest in academic reading and writing. Familiarity with basic research methods is a plus but not required. Completion of ENV 201 and ENV 202 is preferred but not required. Proficiency in Spanish is a plus but not required.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/9/2025

Estimated End Date: 7/18/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Remote

Contact Information: Mauricio Betancourt (email: mbetancourt@wlu.edu)

Gastroimaginaries: Dreams of Food and Place in Peru and the American South (Catarina Passidomo)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/9/2025 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/18/2025.

Project Description

This project traces dominant and subversive narratives linking food and place in Peru and the American South (specifically: hospitality, nostalgia, multiculturalism, and sustainability). Summer 2025 research will focus on the aesthetic and ethical ideal of sustainability and how it is conceptualized in contemporary food movements. The broader project is situated within interdisciplinary critique of popular representations of food that celebrate its cultural significance without attending to the socioeconomic and ecological devastations wrought by contemporary (global, industrial, and corporate) food systems. Student researchers will assist with (1) ongoing scholarly literature review; (2) analysis of existing qualitative data; and (3) potentially engage in new qualitative data collection and analysis. Students will also serve as collaborators and thought-partners for the broader project

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Prerequisites

No.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/9/2025

Estimated End Date: 7/18/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Hybrid

Contact Information: Catarina Passidomo (email: cpassidomo@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Assessing what remains of Coral Gardens (Lisa Greer)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/2/2025 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/25/2025.

Project Description

Coral Gardens reef (Belize) previously contained an exceptional population of endangered Staghorn coral that has been monitored for over a decade. Between June 2023 and December of the same year, this reef collapsed, with live coral plummeting from over 30% live to zero. This project has several aims. We will document the impacts of this collapse and look for any surviving Acropora sp. corals in the wider area. We will also use 3D photogrammetry techniques to document changes in reef structure and the deterioration of individual corals post-collapse. Additionally, we will download temperature, light, and pH data from in situ data loggers stationed at several locations on the reef and analyze pH data collected in prior years. A final goal of the summer will be to further document and analyze the occurrence and distribution of microplastics at two sites adjacent to the reef.

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Prerequisites

NONE

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/2/2025

Estimated End Date: 7/25/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Contact Information: Lisa Greer (email: greerl@wlu.edu)

USDA Midwest Climate Hub: An Assessment of Climate Services (Ryan McCoy)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/2/2025 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/25/2025.

Project Description

Climate services involve the production, translation, and utilization of climate information to aid in decision-making. These services aim to provide timely and tailored information to decision-makers and stakeholders in the face of growing climate variability. In doing so, climate services are a critical resource for bolstering climate resiliency and adaptation. This project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (Grant #5030-21600-001-014-G, PI: Prof. Ryan McCoy, Environmental Studies), will evaluate climate services offered by the USDA Midwest Climate Hub (MCH)–an organization tasked with providing regional-specific climate information to stakeholders in the $76 billion agricultural industry in the Midwest. In doing so, this assessment will provide a baseline measure of the value of these services, including their social, economic, and ecological impacts, as well as identify areas for improvement in service delivery and development. As part of this project, student researchers will work in collaboration with the PI, federal organizations, and other government partners to analyze survey data, as well as produce internal reports and external publications relating to MCH’s climate services. In doing so, students will play a pivotal role in increasing the awareness, accessibility, and usability of climate information for agricultural stakeholders in the Midwest, as well as support climate resiliency in U.S. food systems.

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Prerequisites

Students should have some experience in mixed methods research and data analysis, and some familiarity with R and similar programs by the project start date. Courses relevant to this position include, but are not limited to, the following: -ENV 390 Topics: Applied Mixed Methods in Environmental Studies -SOAN 111 R for Social Scientists -SOAN 222 Data Science Tools for Social Policy

Special Comments

Research for this project will primarily take place on campus in Lexington, VA, with options for hybrid work. In addition, there is the potential for travel to the USDA Midwest Climate Hub located in Ames, Iowa at the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/2/2025

Estimated End Date: 7/25/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: Hybrid

Contact Information: Ryan McCoy (email: rmccoy2@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Quantifying grassland soil carbon and productivity in Yellowstone National Park. (Bill Hamilton)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/2/2025 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/25/2025.

Project Description

In continuation of a 10-year collaboration with the National Park Service (NPS), we will begin the quantification of the carbon sequestration potential of Yellowstone grasslands by integrating soil and plant measurements with stable isotope enrichment experiments in the field and in the lab. This data will contribute to bison and grassland management decisions as well as ecological knowledge.

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Prerequisites

ENV 110 or BIOL 111/113

Special Comments

Potential trip to Yellowstone for 2 weeks in July.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/2/2025

Estimated End Date: 7/25/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Contact Information: Bill Hamilton (email: hamiltone@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Critical mineral (rare earth element and yttrium) extraction by biotic manganese oxides associated with acidic mine drainage (Margaret Anne Hinkle)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/9/2025 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 8/1/2025.

Project Description

With the projected growth in renewable energy and technology sectors along with their increasing reliance on critical minerals such as rare earth elements, yttrium, and manganese, identifying domestic sources of these critical minerals is essential. Large volumes of solid waste containing critical minerals are generated every year as a byproduct of acid mine drainage remediation. Within the United States, acid mine drainage remains an ongoing environmental issue. This research will examine the potential of adapting acid mine drainage remediation systems to produce critical minerals in economically viable concentrations. The research will investigate the impact of a variety of biogeochemical conditions (such as pH, sulfate concentrations, and the presence of microbes) on rare earth elements and yttrium (REYs) uptake by hydrous manganese (Mn) oxide minerals in acid mine drainage remediation systems. These results will help identify the optimal conditions for concentrating REYs in acid mine drainage remediation systems for the recovery of these critical minerals from unconventional domestic sources, while remediating harmful metal-laden acid mine drainage.

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Prerequisites

None

Special Comments

Part of the research may require travel to acid mine drainage field sites outside of Pittsburgh

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/9/2025

Estimated End Date: 8/1/2025

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Contact Information: Margaret Anne Hinkle (email: hinklem@wlu.edu)