Sarah Naramore of Lafayette College prepares samples for her independent project. (Photo: Debbie Scanlon)

Students Wrap Up Semester with Symposium on Independent Research

Students in the Semester in Environmental Science (SES) program presented results of their independent research projects on December 17. The symposium featured 15-minute presentations of projects that the students have worked on for the past month, covering topics such as pollution in the coastal zone and consequences of land use changes at local field sites including Waquoit Bay and the Coonamessett River.

This fall the students have spent more than 20 hours a week conducting hands-on lab work and field research in the forests, ponds, and estuaries of coastal Massachusetts. In addition to taking courses in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems science, the students have participated in a science writing seminar designed to illustrate how the results of scientific investigations can be transmitted to the public.

The SES program is based at the Ecosystems Center and is now in its fourteenth year. For 15 weeks, college students from across the U.S. receive an intensive field and laboratory-based introduction to environmental science of coastal forests, freshwater ponds and estuaries. Virtually all of the Ecosystems Center's principal investigators, and many of the support staff, participate in the SES program.

A detailed list of presentations is available.