In the News
Scientific American featured appetite-suppressing research by Rob Doyle (chemistry).
America Magazine profiled Mary Karr, Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of Literature (Creative Writing)
The Chronicle of Higher Education featured an op-ed piece by David Yaffe (English) on 20th-century American poetry
A Success magazine feature on primatologist Jane Goodall extensively quotes Dean Emerita Cathryn R. Newton.
BBC News highlighted research by Jason Fridley (biology) on invasive plants. Science 360 and other media also covered the story
National Public Radio interviewed Dana Spiotta (Creative Writing) about her recent book, Stone Arabia.
Earth Sciences major spends summer in Costa Rican cloud forest
Natalie Teale participated in summer REU program hosted by Texas A&M University
“The students investigated how the vegetation, moisture content, and soil composition in a tropical cloud forest interact, from the scale of an individual leaf to the entire forest,” said geography professor Chris Houser, principal investigator for the National Science Foundation-funded program.
Natalie, a student in the Renee Crown University Honors Program, and the other students in the summer 2012 REU class were prepared for the experience during two-week introduction at Texas A&M. During this time, they met with faculty mentors to produce research proposals, prepare equipment for their experiments, and participate in seminars on research methods and field safety. The students kept a record of their experience on the blog, Exploration of a Cloud Forest.
After arriving in Costa Rica, the students set up monitoring stations and began collecting field data. Each of their projects will contribute to the understanding of the water budget of a watershed in the forest. Outside of their own projects, the students learned from faculty about their research in hydrology, biogeography, climatology, geomorphology, and ecohydrology to better understand the dynamics of the cloud forest.
Cloud-forest vegetation plays an important role in absorbing water from clouds, but the amount of moisture absorbed and its impact on the rest of the water cycle is not well understood. The students collected data from areas that were untouched by humans and other sites that have been logged or completely cleared.
The students’ research provides a valuable service to local Costa Rican communities. Since cloud forests exist near the top of Costa Rican watersheds, an understanding of the role of vegetation in the water cycle will help predict the availability of water downstream where most people live. It also will help identify how human activities have changed the cloud forest and if these activities have a negative affect on local development.
The students returned to Texas A&M on July 22 to complete their analyses and present their findings during research symposium. This was the second year of a three-year program at the Soltis Center for Research and Education in Costa Rica. Charles William Soltis and his wife Wanda established the center to provide international experiences for students while protecting the unique ecological setting and creating preservation awareness.
---------------------------------------------Contact InformationJudy Holmes |
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