Undergraduate Research

agriCulture

Madison Gartman

Madison Gartman assessed the efficacy of teaching styles employed by professors in the Department of Agriculture following the cancellation of inperson classes during the spring 2020 semester as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the change of modality, some students and faculty members who had limited experience with online classes were forced to conquer the entirety of their course load and instruction online,” Gartman said. “However, with this abrupt change arose some creative teaching techniques that aided students’ remote academic success for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.” Gartman distributed a survey to all registered students in SFA’s Department of Agriculture, collecting demographic data, as well as feedback on the content, style and efficacy of the online courses taken.

“The faculty members provided a wide array of teaching styles to present course material,” Gartman said. “The most prevalent teaching style employed was a screen-shared lecture, followed by a pre-recorded activity demonstration.”

Gartman said creative delivery, including the use of podcasts with accompanying slides, were among some of the most effective teaching methods used.

“Given the uncertainty of times during the COVID-19 pandemic, students benefit from an adaptable nature of instruction,” Gartman said.

eNviroNmeNtal sCieNCe

Chance J. Robinson, Alexander Hanks, Cameron Lane and Dane Hopson

The Environmental Protection Agency defines particulate matter as the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. While some, such as soot or smoke, are large enough to be seen with the naked eye, others are so small they can only be detected with an electron microscope.

This environmental research team sought to compare the air quality of SFA’s Miller Science Building and the Cole STEM Building using PM10 and PM2.5 as measures of air quality.

PM10 are inhalable particles with diameters that are generally 10 micrometers and smaller, while PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles with diameters 2.5 micrometers and smaller.

Using a particulate matter detector, the researchers collected readings in the buildings for two weeks at 15-minute intervals every other hour between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.

Following analysis, the team found that while the concentration of particulate matter was higher in the Miller Science Building, the air quality within both buildings remained within healthy levels.

“The concentration of particulate matter is higher in the Miller Science Building because of usage and age,” said Chance Robinson. “The STEM building will likely run into this problem when it becomes older, regardless of what preventative methods take place.”

20| Arthur temple College of forestry And AgriCulture

geospatial sCieNCe

Andrew Fenley

Andrew Fenley’s research compared the positional accuracy of different forms of geospatial technology by surveying pecan trees located in Nacogdoches’ Pecan Park.

“Today, the park has large, mature pecan trees and some young saplings across an area of 23 acres,” Fenley said. “Among them, 30 trees were selected and surveyed in situ with a total station referenced to a permanent monument. This gave us the true geographic coordinates of each tree.” Fenley then documented the geographic coordinates of each of the 30 trees as they are listed by Google Earth Pro, What3Words, Pictometry and a DJI Phantom drone.

These coordinates were then compared to the true geographic coordinates in order to determine the positional error of each technology.

Fenley found that Pictometry, a patented aerial image capture process, is the most accurate, while Google Earth Pro was the least reliable due to the high variance caused by the difficulty of precisely locating each tree on a computer screen.

eNviroNmeNtal sCieNCe

Jordan Stanford, Sydney Matlock, Samantha Montes and Courtney Sims

This environmental science research team assessed the presence of microplastics in Bonita and Lanana Creeks located in Nacogdoches.

“Microplastics and their threat to marine environments are well known, but studies in freshwater environments are few and far between,” said Jordan Stanford.

The team collected multiple sediment samples at accessible points along both creeks and used multiple techniques to filter the samples in the lab. A compound microscope and a reference guide were then used to identify any microplastics present in the samples.

Microplastics found in data analysis

The team found that varying levels of microplastics were present at each sampling site.

“These values are alarming because Bonita Creek feeds into Lanana Bayou, then the Angelina River and finally Sam Rayburn Reservoir,” Stanford said. “Education and awareness on microplastics and their presence in Nacogdoches County should continue to be of utmost importance.”

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