| 2011-2012 Undergraduate Students |
University of Vermont
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My name is Ruth Addante and I will be entering my senior year at the University of Vermont.
I am majoring in Environmental Sciences with a focus on Water Resources. I will be doing
research during the 2011-2012 academic year and working in the water quality lab. My research
project will compare the effect of riparian buffers with differing vegetative compositions on
the water quality of nearby streams. During my free time I enjoy running, biking, hiking,
rowing, crocheting, knitting, baking, reading, writing, and relaxing outdoors.
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Middlebury College
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My name is Sam and I am a Conservation Biology major at Middlebury College, where I will be a
junior next academic year. This summer, I am conducting a sedimentation experiment to
examine the potential impacts of fine sediment deposition on macroinvertebrate abundance
and richness in both forested and urban streams. After college I intend to do graduate
work in conservation biology, environmental science, or ecosystem management. Besides
science, I like to run, play the clarinet, and travel. I will be studying abroad this
fall in Poitiers, France.
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University of Vermont
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My name is Helen Birk and I am a Senior at UVM studying Environmental Science in the
Rubenstein School. I am interested in applying my Environmental Science degree to pursue
my passions of Conservation Biology and Sustainability Education. This year, for the
STREAMS Project I am helping conduct research on total phosphorous and identifying source
species of E. Coli in the Lamoille River Basin. I will then be helping to identify if
different types of landuse such as agricultural, commercial, urban, and forested
contribute to different types of E. Coli in the river basin.
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University of Vermont
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I am a rising junior Environmental Science major in the Rubenstein School at UVM. As a high
school participant in the Streams Project I first realized my interest in aquatic ecology.
Last summer I conducted research on tropical streams at the El Verde Field Station in Puerto
Rico before transitioning into a school year internship in the water quality lab. I had the
opportunity to travel with other Streams participants to the February 2011 ASLO meeting in
Puerto Rico to present my summer research as well. This summer I am excited to continue my
involvement with Streams and learn new skills as a member of the macroinvertebrate team at
St. Michael's!
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Saint Michael's College
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My name is Anne and I am a junior at Saint Michael's College, where I am a Biology and
Environmental Studies double major. I love the outdoors and anything to do with it! This
is my first year with streams, and this summer I will be conducting a trophic cascade
experiment to investigate the effects of Lemna minor (duckweed!) on the macroinvertebrate
communities in ponds. Outside of Streams, I enjoy running, hiking, skiing, traveling and
reading. After I graduate, I hope travel and earn my masters degree in either Environmental
Management or Conservation Biology.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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My name is Alexandra Colon Muller, I'm in my third year of college at Universidad
Metropolitana at San Juan, P.R. My major is in Cellular and Molecular Biology. This is my
first internship in Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project. This summer I will be working in the
Water Quality Lab investigating the relationship between total phosphorus and urban land
use. The expected outcome is a model to predict TP based on urban land use in streams with
similar environmental background and land use.
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Saint Michael's College
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My name is Amanda, and I am a rising Junior at Saint Michael's College. I am a Biology major
but I also have a great interest in Chemistry. I hope to eventually become a pharmacist. This
summer, I am working in the Water Quality Lab and conducting my independent research on three
streams that lead into Shelburne Bay. I will be comparing the E.coli, total suspended solids,
and total Phosphorus levels from each stream and determining which stream is carrying the most
of these constituents to Shelburne Bay.
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Saint Michael's College
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My name is Colin Delaney. I am a junior Environmental Engineering student at Saint Michael's
College. I'm working as a bioinformatics intern for the Vermont Genetic network. Towards the
end of the summer, our focus will be helping with a project through the New England
Cyberinfrastructure Consortium, analyzing cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and ponds in New
England. I'm an athlete in many disciplines (primarily nordic skiing, biking, and triathlons),
but I also enjoy more leisurely outdoor activities. I also enjoy listening to music, as well as
playing guitar for masses at Saint Michael's. I'm really excited to get exposure to
bioinformatics this summer, as it's a field I may have otherwise not been able to delve in to
through the typical Environmental Engineering tract.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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My name is Dayanara Lebron Aldea and I'm studying Bio-Mathematics at Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan,
Puerto Rico. This is my first summer research internship will help me to expand my knowledge, improve my
English and develop as a good researcher. I'm in the Macroinvertebrate Lab with Declan McCabe as mentor and
my research will be focused in how the effects of sedimentation and canopy cover affects the macroinvertebrate
community productivity in urban and forested streams by measuring dissolved oxygen. My goals are to enter a
Medicine School to pursue my goal of being a dermatologist or Forensic Pathologist. I love Mathematics,
singing and traveling.
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University of Vermont
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My name is Jacob Menken and I am a senior B.S. Environmental Science concentration Environmental
Resources and B.A. Geology double major in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University
of Vermont as well as a self-taught Benthic Ecologist. This summer I am living and working
in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. The research I am conducting is located at
the El Verde Research Station under the guidance of the Scientific Direction J. Alonso Ramirez.
My work focuses on the effect of low pH water on the growth rate and mortality of aquatic
macro-invertebrates, specifically the Mayfly species Leptophlebiidae. The implications of
this research have the potential to be far reaching in both tropical and temperate climates
when considering the increased acidity of many hydrologic systems. While I am not the typical
stream ecologist, I am extremely excited to contribute my work to both the Streams Project and
the scientific community at large.
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University of Vermont
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Bio coming soon!
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Saint Michael's College
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My name is Susan Molzon and I am a senior at St. Michael's College. I am pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering with a
minor in Mathematics. This fall I will be conducting research in the macroinvertebrates lab. I also enjoy backpacking
and most any outdoor activity. I am looking forward to gaining experience in the laboratory setting and incorporating
my studies with the STREAMS Project.
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Johnson State College
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My name is Abbie Murphy, I am a sophomore and Johnson State College and I am studying biology
there. With this research opportunity I plan on looking at the initial site and habitat
descriptions and seeing if those help predict the amount and source of E.coli in the
tributaries in the lamoille valley.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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I am Ismael Orengo Sanchez a senior at Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto Rico. My Biology
major is my passion, make questions is my duty and find answers is my job. Came to Streams
Project at Vermont was a good decision because I have been exposed to a new environment of
knowledge and wonderful people. I would like to become a good professor in general biology
and this internship is a great opportunity to try out another branch of science. In my research
in trying to find how channelization affect the macroinvertebrate colony. With the results of
this investigation, I hope to show people how humans affect the environment. Design anime
figures, paint and read short books are some of my hobbies.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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My name is Greisha and I study Biology with a Chemistry minor in the Universidad Metropolitana
at puerto Rico. Next August I will be starting my junior year. This is my first time doing a
summer internship and I very excited to do my first research here in the Streams Project. I
would be working with the willows in the Potash Brook stream looking for his levels of
phosphorus absorbtion, avoiding that large quantities of phosphorus can reach the stream.
Actually I am a math tutor and I love to dive. My future plans are represent my country and
myself in differents science conferences and continue my studies in odontology, and this is
a good opportunity to expand my knowlegde in Biology.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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My name is Gabriel Perez Byer, and I am a going to be a junior at Universidad Metropolitana in Puerto Rico, where
I am majoring in Environmental Science. This is my first year as an intern in the Streams Project. In my investigation
I will be using Microbial Source Tracking to identify sources of E. coli from 19 sites within the Lamoille River Basin.
I will also be working to enlarge the ribotyping library to help identify the E. coli that we find. My graduate academic
goals are to earn a masters and a Ph.D in Environmental Health. In my free time I like to watch movies, hike, read,
scuba dive, and chill out.
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University of Puerto Rico
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Hi! My name is Mariana Quinones. I am a junior at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus majoring in
Environmental Sciences. This summer I'm working in the Water Quality lab and also conducting my own research
comparing the concentrations of TSS and sources of Fecal Coliforms in streams surrounded by forested and agricultural
land uses. After completing my bachelors degree I hope to earn a masters focused in natural resources and work with
the implementation and enforcement of environmental laws in my Country. I enjoy almost everything that has to do with
outdoors, water, and nature.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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Hello everyone! My name is Karoline Rios-Rodriguez and I am a Cell and Molecular Biology at
Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I'm going to my senior year in August at
my college and expect graduate in May 2012. This is my fourth time working with Streams Project.
I'm very glad to be going back to Burlington, Vermont and have the opportunity to applied all
the concepts and techniques learning during my Science Courses. During the summer, I will be
studying the effects of E. coli and Total Suspend Solids (TSS) in different land uses (Forested
and Urban sites) using data collected in 2009 and take my own samples for see the impact of the
different land uses. My future plans are pursuing graduate studies related with Microbiology,
Pathology or Molecular Biology and represent my country (Puerto Rico) in all the Scientific
Conferences celebrated around the world.
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Universidad Metropolitana
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Hi, my name is Juan Pablo Rivera Rodriguez and I am realizing a bachelor in Cell and Molecular
Biology with a minor in Chemistry. In the next year I will be starting my junior year in
Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan PR. This is my first internship and my first research
like as scientist. This opportunity in Streams Project is awesome for me because I am expanding
my science knowledge in Biology. I am working on the Water Quality Lab and I am realizing my
research in Cooperas stream located nearly to Ely Mine. My objective in this research is trying
to understrand how the population of E. coli can be affected before and after by the impact of
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). My future plans are to continue growing as a scientist, make good
researches and be accepted into a medicine college. My hobbies are doing sports, specially
basketball and diving. I thank God for this opportunity.
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University of Puerto Rico
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Hi, my name is Mariana Rivera Figueroa and I am a senior student at University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Campus. My major is in Physical Geography and I am interested in pursuing a Master's Degree in Earth Sciences.
This summer of 2011, I am doing research and working for the Streams Project's Water Quality Lab. My research is
about the relationship between riparian vegetation and the geomorphology of the stream channel. This study is also
going to evaluate how land use in the catchment area affects the channel geomorphology. I enjoy the outdoors and
water sports.
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Saint Michael's College
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Bio coming soon!
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Universidad Metropolitana
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My name is Laura Salazar Guarin. I am a senior cell and molecular biology student at Universidad Metropolitana
in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I will be working in the Ribotyping lab measuring how the diet of the E.coli affects
their growth and tracking the E.coli species on different streams. Beyond academics I'm an outdoor person, I enjoy
hiking and diving. After completing my bachelor, my major goal is to get into medical school, and become a neuro surgeon.
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University of Vermont
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I study Natural Resource ecology within the Rubenstein School (of the Environment and Natural Resources) at the University
of Vermont. Personally, fishing has always been my major outlet. The thought of fish swimming around and the complex food
webs that support them is probably what gets me out of bed most mornings. Whether I find myself within academic or
industrial fields, I would like to contribute to the development of economies that strengthen ecosystem complexity
rather that deteriorate it. I am currently spending my summer studying at the El Verde Field station within El Yunque
National Forest, Puerto Rico. My project is exploring the influences of hurricane disturbances on the metabolic processes
and food webs of headwater streams. Working in the Caribbean has allowed me to expand my perspective within ecology and
has been a great opportunity to work with some excellent researchers.
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Saint Michael's College
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My name is Ian Sullivan. I am a senior at St. Michael's College majoring in biology with a
minor in chemistry. I plan on continuing on to graduate school to study biochemistry. My
project will focus on analyzing GIS data to look for correlations between land use patterns
and the structure of macroinvertebrate populations in surrounding streams. Outside of academics
I am a writing coach, treasurer of the Science Club, and enjoy running, biking, traveling,
listening to music, and animals.
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Website questions? Contact: Steven.Exler@uvm.edu