SU-mmer Studies

Air Pollution, ecology, Education, environmental impact, environmentalism, geography by Jess T.
SU 1
Syracuse University Campus. Photo by Jess Turner.

Welcome to the beautiful campus that is my new summer home: Syracuse University (SU). Situated on an enormous hill next to the basketball dome and College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) this campus practically gleams.

I can’t wait to move in! I’m not going to spill all the details of my study, but I can tell you I will be researching climate change through mercury levels in soil. The only problem is where to find a large supply of unbothered soil on a seasonal basis for testing. I am certainly not digging up the lush green lawns you see in these pictures. The research location closest to us is the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. See the video about the project here. There are 79 such forests and ranges in the US all owned by the USDA. To see all of the experimental forests, click here. There are some good links to research papers on the studies that have been carried out at these locations. Otherwise, you will be hearing from me again soon! I can’t wait to share my experiences as a Research Assistant at Syracuse University 🙂

22 Comments

  3. Argus
    Reply

    Here’s wishing you all the very best with your researches and hoping that all goes well. It’s good to see young folks with their heads screwed properly on … at your age I was a complete wastrel. (Dumb dog …)

    Liked by 2 people

  6. bluebrightly
    Reply

    Wonderful! I grew up just on the edge of Syracuse. We had a big patch of woods right behind our house, where I used to explore. That helped form my love of nature. This was back in the 1950’s, believe it or not, and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which got American’s interested in the environment, had not yet been published. The company my father worked for in Syracuse used to dump chemicals indiscriminately – and speaking of mercury, he brought a little bit home in a test tube one day for us kids to see. We actually played with it! (I can’t remember if he made us wash our hands later). So be careful where you look for mercury levels in the soil! 😉
    I wish you best of luck in your studies, and best of luck getting through those tough winters, too. You can do it!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Jess T.
      Reply

      I’ve actually read Rachel Carson’s Silent Springs! It was a great book, full of information on society’s attitude toward the environment in the 60’s. I grew up right around Onondaga Lake which is mentioned in one of my very old posts on sediment capping- indeed it is the most polluted lake in NY because of the industrialization of this town. As for Syracuse University, I am only here for the summer. I head back to Buffalo in another five weeks. Thanks for commenting. I enjoyed your input on all of my posts!

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Dani
    Reply

    Congrats! The SU campus really is beautiful. While you’re there, see how many things you can check off my orange bucket list! Wanderonabudget.wordpress.com/an-orange-bucket-list 🍊

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Josh Gross | The Jaguar

        I might a lot of people who care about the environment in Belize, but you and I were born into a society that values short-term pleasure above long-term benefit. It’s also a society that has a disproportionate impact on the rest of the world, and so one that is in dire need of changing.

        Liked by 1 person

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