April 19, 2018 Vol. 86 Issue 11

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T hu r s day , A p r i l 19, 2018

Volume 86

Issue 11 Green Living Seminar

Whales, drones, and a Snotbot BY FABIENNE BOGARDUS-STREET STAFF WRITER

Photo from MCLA.edu

Students at last year’s Undergraduate Research Conference presented on a variety of topics.

16th Undergraduate Research Conference BY COREY MITCHELLLABRIE STAFF WRITER

The Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) at MCLA is an annual event that showcases student-led research and projects. “I know some of my students that are presenting have been preparing since the fall,” said Jenna Sciuto, associate chair of undergraduate research. “It’s actually coming out of classes from the fall. I think other students as well, from other disciplines, are building off material from the fall.” The efforts of 248 students and 45 faculty members went into this year’s URC. A wide variety of presentations were included all over campus, from formal PowerPoints

and carefully constructed posters to performances and even a historic walking tour. “We have a special session this year,” Sciuto said. “It’s called ‘The History of MCLA’s People,’ which is coming out of a course with Katherine Carroll and we’ve included a map in the actual URC program.” “They’ve designed this walking tour,” said Justin Golub, chair of undergraduate research. “It’s a self-guided walking tour where you get to visit different sites and it features the first AfricanAmerican to graduate from MCLA, it has the history of Venable Hall.” Most students begin work on their URC project during the fall semester, working continuously up until the actual event in the spring.

“Some did research last year that they’re presenting this year,” Golub said. “Some did research in the fall. So the amount of time students prepare probably varies depending on the project they’re working on.” The entire day is filled with scheduled blocks for the conference and all classes are canceled for the day. Students are encouraged to attend some talks, not just for curiosity’s sake, but also to show support for their peers. “I think every department on campus, every academic department, has students presenting,” Golub said. “Poster and paper presentations, there’s two performances, they’ll be in the afternoon sessions.”

URC page 3

The Green Living Seminar series continued with its last presentation of the semester, “Studying Whales Using Drones: The Ocean Alliance’s Snotbot,” by Iain Kerr, CEO of Ocean Alliance. “Iain Kerr not only provided us a view of how technology is being used to better understand and protect whales, but I hope his ending point will be taken to heart,” said Elena Traister, associate professor of environmental science. “Oceans and people are intimately connected. Reminding people to care about protecting the ocean is the first step to safeguarding its future.” Kerr began the lecture by showing a picture of the earth from space and saying, “This is planet ocean, we do not live on planet Earth.” Earth is 71 percent water and 64 percent of that is considered high seas or international waters. Kerr’s main point was that humanity’s future is in our ocean as is our survival. “Technically almost half of the earth’s surface belongs to no one or everyone,” Kerr said. As a consequence of human activities, whales are facing more threats than ever before. Some factors are chemical pollution, bycatch,

entanglement, ship strikes, habitat loss, noise pollution, climate change and acoustic bleaching. Kerr showed an example of endangered right whales off of Boston, showing scientific technology resulting in ecological risks. The following whale populations are endangered currently: bowhead whales, gray whales, Arabian Sea humpback whales, Southern right whales, North Pacific right whales, North Atlantic right whales, Bryde’s whales, Antarctic blue whales and sperm whales. Kerr discussed “Voyages of the Odyssey,” an Ocean Alliance boat trip circumnavigating the globe from 20002006. They covered about 87,000 nautical miles in five and a half years. One part of this trip included measuring the amount of tissue mercury levels in sperm whales. Ocean Alliance is a nonprofit organization founded in 1971 by Roger Payne that develops research techniques and creates conservation and education initiatives to protect whales and their habitats. The Snotbot, a drone made to collect snot from whales without harassing them, was developed over a five-year span. In 2011, it was just an idea before turning into an Olin College project called the snotshot, followed by the first trial at sea and a full trial offshore. In 2015, a Kick-

Green Living page 2

Journalist-in-Residence

Smith talks importance of local journalism BY MAYA MCFADDEN STAFF WRITER

Jenn Smith, The Berkshire Eagle’s community engagement editor and education reporter, spent April 10 and 11 on MCLA’s campus as this semester’s Hardman Journalist-inResidence. Smith spent Tuesday visiting classes, students and faculty and gave her public lecture, “Preserving Local Journalism: Why Your News, Your Views, Your Voice Matters,” at noon on Wednesday in Murdock Hall’s Sammer Dennis Room. Smith discussed how she grew up and gained an interest in journalism. She started with her high school newspaper, taking on a lead-

ership role as a sophomore. Smith aimed to enhance her school paper’s reputation and student involvement. “I created a product that made people listen, that made people think, and that made people value themselves,” said Smith. Smith attended Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and interned at the Syracuse New Times. After graduating, Smith returned to Pittsfield and worked three jobs. Smith served at the former Dakota Steakhouse and was a substitute teacher in addition to being a news clerk and obituary writer at The Berkshire Eagle. “It’s almost an escape from myself,” Smith said. “I get to sit with

other people’s lives and walk through other people’s days, at the best of times and the worst of times.” Writing obituaries and being in the newsroom was beneficial to learning the skills of good journalism for Smith. “I learned how to be resourceful and a lot about accountability,” Smith said. In 2005, Smith began working fulltime at The Berkshire Eagle. Smith said that in an office with few women, when she started she was the only female reporter. She was also one of very few people of color. “I really connected with her with interest in a field where there isn’t a lot of females and different ethnici-

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photo from Rae Ross

Jenn Smith is a reporter for The Berkshire Eagle.


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April 19, 2018 Vol. 86 Issue 11 by MCLA Beacon - Issuu