Institute of Science & the Environment Newsletter January 2015

Institute of Science and the Environment

Belknap Hall Mansfield University 45 Wilson Street Mansfield, PA 16933

www.mansfield.edu/ise

The Institute of Science and the Environment Established at MU This fall, General Francis Hendricks, president of Mansfield University, announced the creation of the Institute of Science and the Environment. This Institute is a name change and expansion of the former Marcellus Institute, which was established in 2012 under Dr. Allan Golden, who was interim president.

Marcellus Resource Council members, don’t forget to join us January 27!

The Marcellus Institute was successful in working with all segments of the gas industry to help meet the educational needs of employees as well as developing academic programs to prepare MU students for careers in the field. This success inspired the institute’s expansion so that more students and programs can benefit. The Institute of Science and the Environment, housed in the Department of Geosciences, will continue working with industry representatives, while supporting all MU science programs that focus on land use and natural resources.

“The institute will coordinate non-credit and for-credit initiatives to provide community leadership on the natural environment,” Hendricks stated. “Through research programs in the sciences and humanities, internships, workforce training, and private-public partnerships, the institute will provide resources for students, alumni, and neighboring communities, with a focus on Tioga and Bradford counties.” This widening of scope better supports the university’s position as the premier small public liberal arts university in Pennsylvania.

Now, in addition to supporting the four-year degree in Environmental Health and Safety Management and the two-year degree in Natural Gas Production and Services, the institute will help coordinate internships and trainings for the Geoscience BS with concentrations in Watershed Management, Environmental Science, Geographic Information Science and Technology, and Outdoor Recreation Leadership, as well as the Biology BS in Fisheries and Environmental Biology concentrations.

“We have so many strong science continued on page 6...

In this Green Colleges • Locating Abandoned Wells issue Drones • Energy Games • And more...

2014 PA Energ y Games

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Now Part of Geosciences The Department of Geosciences, with support

from the Institute of Science and the Environment at Mansfield University and the Student Government Association, recently purchased several different models of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for student and faculty collaborative efforts in geospatial research. The UAVs are for the collection of remotely sensed imagery useful for the construction of maps, analysis of vegetation and environmental concerns, as well as the production of aerial imagery to support other university missions.

Student involvement has been at the forefront of the UAV program, and advanced students in geosciences have participated in all aspects of data collection and processing.

UAV technology is the cutting edge of geospatial research, enabling researchers to collect extremely highresolution images for a very low cost. Operation of UAVs and the processing of the imagery is a highly employable

skill that MU Geosciences students are gaining through their work on collaborative research projects with faculty.

To date, UAV imagery has been incorporated into two such research projects: an extremely high resolution map of the Mansfield campus produced by senior Jonathan Bagg and junior Wesley Glowitz, and the Tioga County Cemetery Mapping Project, led by seniors Nathan Harpster and Christopher Oliver-Nez. Future work will include an energy and efficiency audit of the MU campus, use of the UAVs to detect and map abandoned gas wells in Tioga County, vegetation health analysis, and 3D modeling of various features using remotely sensed imagery.

For further information on the UAV program and to see imagery collected to-date, visit the MUEarthLab website www.muearthlab.org or contact Dr. Andrew Shears (ashears@mansfield.edu) in the Department of Geosciences.

New PERCs for MU Students and Faculty

Marcellus Resource Council MEETING AGENDA

January 27 2:30 pm

Welcome

Introduction of Institute of Science and the Environment

Lilace Guignard, Director of Education and Outreach

This fall, Mansfield University joined the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC) of Pennsylvania Green Colleges.

This prompted the creation of a new committee composed of faculty, staff, students, and community members. The Mansfield University Sustainability Committee is dedicated to leading the University in endeavors to align its social, economic, and environmental activities with the resource capacities and limits of the campus, community, and planet. By looking long-term, the committee will prepare the University to endure into the future, providing a decent way of life for all its members and a model of sustainable living to students.

The Institute of Science and the Environment made it 1

The 2014 second annual PA Energy Games was held at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in Hughesville, PA on Sept.

6, 2014. Dr. Jennifer Demchak, chair of the Geosciences Department, was asked to be part of a panel discussion along with representatives from Penn College of Technology and Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.

Demchak presented Mansfield University’s educational and training opportunities related to energy production and specifically the Geosciences Department’s offerings for the unconventional gas industry. She discussed the department’s BS in Geoscience and the new emphasis in Geology, the BS in Environmental Health and Safety, and the AAS program in Natural Gas Production and Services.

She described how students in Geoscience programs are also getting trained in related support services. For instance, recent graduates in the Watershed Management emphasis have been trained to work for environmental consulting firms performing wetland delineations and environmental permitting.

The driving force behind the Energy Games is education, which ties in with the mission of the Institute of Science and the Environment. The Games officials hope that everyone who attended came away with a better understanding of energy production, distribution and usage whether it be natural gas, coal mines, or windmills.

Education was promoted through exhibits and displays, hands-on activities for the kids, panel discussions and the popular “equipment rodeo.” Event promoters hope that the Games will continue for many years in order to educate the community on the importance of natural resources and the need to maintain a healthy environment for generations to come.

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2:40 pm

The Premier Small Public Liberal Arts University in Pennsylvania

General Francis Hendricks, President, Mansfield University 2:50 pm

GIS & Technology concentration in relation to the Natural Gas Industry

Dr. Andrew Shears 3:05 pm

Discussion and Feedback

3:15 pm

Environmental Health and Safety Program (formerly the Safety Management Program)

Professor Peter Van Derlyke 3:30 pm

Discussion and Feedback

3:45 pm

Internships - Past and Future

Dr. Christopher Kopf, Director of Grants and Research 4:00 pm

Discussion and Feedback

4:20 pm

Introduction of Select Upcoming Graduates, Followed by Meet and Greet

Marcellus Resource Council Meeting has been rescheduled for January 27.

MRC members should please RSVP to ise@mansfield.edu 2

Institute Sponsors Geoscience Students at COPLAC Conference The Institute of Science and the Environment sponsored three MU Geoscience students who were accepted to the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) Fall 2014 Regional Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Conference held at Keene State College, NH on November 7-8.

COPLAC promotes awareness of the value of high-quality, public liberal arts education in a student-centered, residential environment. Its membership consists of 28 colleges and universities in 26 states and one Canadian province.

Dr. Lee Stocks, Jr., Dr. Andrew Shears, and Dr. Linda Kennedy of the Geosciences Department mentored the three Geoscience students who presented posters in a professional venue. This type of experience is valuable preparation for graduate school and careers in industry.

A total of 12 MU students presented at the conference. Mansfield University is under consideration for COPLAC membership. A decision on its application is expected in early 2015.

The Geoscience students and summaries of their abstracts are as follows:

Short-Term Changes in Water Quality, Corey Creek, Tioga County, PA

Students: Kyle Cuddeback and Nathan Harpster Faculty mentor: Linda Kennedy Corey Creek is a third order stream in the Glaciated Low Plateau physiographic province of Pennsylvania. Land-use in the drainage basin consists of secondary woodland and pasture, followed by urbanization. During and following a single rainfall event, stream discharge transitions from predominately surface runoff, derived from agricultural and urbanized areas, to base flow. Water quality data were collected over a period of seven days in the wake of a large rainfall event during October 2014 to determine if chemical differences could be detected between surface runoff and base flow in the Corey Creek Catchment.

Geophysical and Geospatial Mapping of Tioga County Pennsylvania Cemeteries Student: Nathan Harpster Faculty mentor: Lee Stocks, Jr. and Andrew Shears In recent years, ground penetrating radar (GPR) has gained acceptance in various fields, including geology, engineering, and archaeology, as a method for capturing high-resolution imagery of subsurface objects. High-frequency electromagnetic pulses are emitted from an antenna to probe the Earth and produce a two-dimensional radargram that allows interpretation of subsurface objects. Multiple survey lines are stitched together to produce a 3-dimensional view for analyses. GPR provides a non-invasive geophysical method for subsurface exploration. It is also more cost-efficient than excavation and drilling techniques. GPR is well-suited for grave detection and inventory surveys of old cemeteries and archaeological digs. The technology helps researchers locate lost and historical graves without destructive digging, excavation, or drilling. This research attempts to create a database of all 271 cemeteries in Tioga County, geolocating all graves with headstones via GPS technology, mapping areal extent of the cemetery with unmanned drones, and using GPR to locate unmarked graves. This data is invaluable for genealogical and planning purposes, and can be utilized by public, private, and municipal sectors.

Mapping Carolina Bays for Morphometric Analysis

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Student: Jesse Olson Faculty mentor: Lee Stocks, Jr. and Andrew Shears Carolina Bays are minor geomorphic surface features, which are generally elliptical with long-axes trending in a northwest-southeast direction, found in the Coastal Plains physiographic region of the Atlantic from New Jersey to Florida.

They are mostly depressed only a few feet with raised sand rims on the southeast border. Currently, multiple genesis theories attempt to explain the origin of these sinkhole-like features, ranging from extraterrestrial meteor collisions to wind-wave action. Similar orientations, varying sizes, ages, soils, vegetation and geology provide impetus for further research. Missing from the literature is a concise method for mapping these features using modern high-resolution datasets in a spatial framework. In this study a geomorphic and spatial analysis is performed using multiple layers to explore the best data and method for mapping Carolina Bays. Derived from this case study is a database containing quantity, distribution, area, length, width, ellipticity, and orientation of mapped Carolina Bays for spatial and morphometric exploration.

Feb. 19 - A Certain Uncertainty: Examining the Rhetoric of Natural Gas

Dr. James Guignard, Associate Professor of English at Mansfield University and author of the forthcoming book, Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone: Teaching, Writing, and Living Above the Marcellus Shale, will speak on how language shapes attitudes toward science and industry.

April 16 - Something’s In the Air - But What and How Much?

Emily Krafjack from COGENT will interpret the most recent air quality data from DEP, explain what other monitoring programs are in place, and discuss what more can be done.

For more information visit the website at www.mansfield.edu/ise or email Lilace Guignard, Director of Education and Outreach, at lguignar@mansfield.edu 4

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MU Profs Locate Dangerous Abandoned and Orphaned Wells A collaboration among Geoscience professors, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, and the Tioga County GIS Department aims to find and map the location of all abandoned or orphaned gas wells in Tioga County, then Pennsylvania at large. Currently helping with the research are Geoscience students Arminda Nesle and Blair Phelps.

Dr. Lee Stocks, Jr., and Dr. Andrew Estimates place Shears began research in 2014 to identify the number these lost wells that provide conduits of abandoned for the contamination of groundwater, wells in western and are a present danger, as they create low pressure zones for migration of gas and northern when new wells are drilled. One such Pennsylvania at abandoned well was intersected in 2012 about 200,000, in the county, resulting in a methane and while only 8255 water geyser that lasted for more than a week. Estimates place the number of have been found abandoned wells in western and northern and plugged.

Pennsylvania at about 200,000, while only 8255 have been found and plugged.

This research uses primary sources and fieldwork to find these wells and apply to the DEP for subsequent plugging. Sources include old survey maps, courthouse and historical society records of lease agreements, farm line maps, geological surveys, historical aerial photography, and the use of the ground penetrating radar. Stocks and Shears recieved $11k in Act 13 funds in conjunction with the Tioga Co. GIS Department with which they are purchasing a MakerBot Replicator Z18 3D printer. They will use this to make models of gas wells, geologic outcrops, and topographic features.

This work is in its early phases and will continue for several years. Stocks and Shears have begun groundtruthing old gas company maps to find 140 wells in Tioga County, as a template for the methodology.

This research will be presented at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the Geological Society of America in March of 2015 and the 5th Annual Showcase of Student Scholarship in April. It will eventually be integrated with the DEP and county GIS databases, as they update their part of the research.

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possible for two faculty members and two students to attend PERC’s fall conference at State College, November 12. Lilace Guignard, co-director of the institute and chair of the Sustainability Committee, went along with Dr. Mary Feeney, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences, and two senior students from the Department of Geosciences, Catherine Brooks-Wagner and Colleen MacKenzie Meringer.

The conference was a forum for colleges all over Pennsylvania to share their stories and solutions concerning sustainability practices and programs, including reducing food waste on campus, composting, and using local food in dining services. The MU committee members came away excited and reported to the committee, which is looking into joining the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge and planning activities for spring to raise awareness of sustainability on the MU campus.

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programs that focus on the environment,” said Lilace Guignard, co-director of the institute, “that we’re excited to bring the institute’s resources to more students in more areas, and to connect a broad range of research with the community and the energy industry.” Relocating the institute under academics allows for a more student-centered focus.

The new name reflects the university’s mission to bring original research to a broad range of issues concerning the environment, as well as to be a clearinghouse for the best data available elsewhere. “Increasing scientific literacy in our students and in our community is a top priority,” declared Dr. Christopher Kopf, co-director with Guignard.

According to a study published May 2014 in Energy Research and Social Science, survey respondents listed university professors seventh out of eight in terms of where respondents got their information about hydraulic fracturing, yet professors were listed first in trustworthiness. The results come from telephone and mail surveys of people who live in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region conducted during the summer of 2012.

“We want to be a source for our community when people are looking for information they can trust concerning all types of local industry and land use, not just natural gas,” Kopf explained. The institute is developing an online resource for area residents with information on a variety of topics, including where well pads are located, pipeline safety, and where to recycle e-waste.

Community events include the Speakers for Tomorrow series, which hosts presentations on issues that affect the decisions we make about how we live where we live (see page 4). These presentations are free and open to the public, and always include a question and answer segment. If you have suggestions of speakers, or would like to volunteer as one, please email ise@mansfield.edu.

An environmental film series is being planned, as well as a Geosciences summer camp for high school age children. The camp will include the highlights of the previous Marcellus Camps combined with educational activities from other academic programs such as fisheries, outdoor recreation, and environmental science. By expanding the camp, the Institute hopes to increase the number of participants from previous years.

Guignard, who is director of Education and Outreach, and Kopf, who is director of Grants and Research for the Institute of Science and the Environment, are joined in their efforts by Lindsey Sikorski, former Director of the Marcellus Institute.

Sikorski, who is now director of Community Engagement for Government & External Relations of Mansfield University, will continue to assist with community relations with institute partners, especially the Marcellus Resource Council. The council is the arm of the institute dedicated to the natural gas programs and partners.

For more information, visit the institute website at www.mansfield.edu/ise. And look forward to regular updates in the form of this newsletter.

Sikorski Assumes the Role of Director of Community Engagement for Government & External Relations With the transition to the Institute of Science and the Environment, the previous Marcellus Institute at Mansfield University Director, Lindsey Sikorski, assumed the role of Director of Community Engagement for Government & External Relations in August 2014.

In this new position, Sikorski continues to serve as one of MU’s points of contact for inquiries or needs. In addition to the Geosciences Department faculty, Sikorski

will provide support and resources through meeting and conference attendance in order to highlight the University’s activities and academic programs.

The Director of Community Engagement position provides an expanded scope for program implementation beyond career awareness, exploration, and planning. She will also be available to discuss additional partnership opportunities between organizations and the University.

Sikorski is now located in 509 North Hall, but her phone number and email address remain the same: (570) 6624808 and lsikorsk@mansfield.edu.

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