Air Pollution, ecology, Education, environmental impact, environmentalism, geography

SU-mmer Studies

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 responses to “SU-mmer Studies”

Hiro

May 30, 2017 at 11:34 pm

That’s so exciting! I’m excited to read about it here!

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1. Jess T.
  
  May 30, 2017 at 11:49 pm
  
  Thanks Hiro 🙂
  
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Playamart – Zeebra Designs

May 31, 2017 at 5:35 am

Yay! You’ll surely find patches of earth, and may your studies go well!

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1. Jess T.
  
  May 31, 2017 at 2:48 pm
  
  Thank you 🙂
  
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Argus

June 9, 2017 at 8:12 am

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 …)

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1. Jess T.
  
  June 9, 2017 at 7:43 pm
  
  Thank you! 🙂
  
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Colline

June 14, 2017 at 9:39 pm

Looks like a lovely place to spend some time.

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Jennifer Kelland Perry

June 21, 2017 at 11:15 pm

Hi there! Thanks for following my blog. 🙂

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bluebrightly

June 28, 2017 at 6:04 pm

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!

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bluebrightly

June 28, 2017 at 6:09 pm

I just realized you are very familiar with the northeast already, so excuse me for the comment about the winters. And I think you’re only there for the summer? Forgive me!

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1. Jess T.
  
  June 28, 2017 at 6:52 pm
  
  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!
  
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Dani

June 29, 2017 at 2:40 am

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 🍊

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Josh Gross | The Jaguar

July 18, 2017 at 5:41 pm

Ah, so this explains what you were doing at Hubbard Brook. Congratulations! It’s good to see that you’re keeping busy and progressing in your career during the summer.

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1. Jess T.
  
  July 18, 2017 at 5:58 pm
  
  Thanks Josh. It’s a shock to see how many other students dedicated their summers to research too!
  
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  1. Josh Gross | The Jaguar
    
    July 18, 2017 at 6:19 pm
    
    Then there is hope.
    
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Josh Gross | The Jaguar

July 18, 2017 at 5:50 pm

I just watched the video you posted too. That’s a super interesting study, and I’m happy you were able to take part in it! What a great experience that must be.

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1. Jess T.
  
  July 18, 2017 at 5:57 pm
  
  Thanks for watching! I’m glad someone out there cares about the environment 🙂
  
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  1. Josh Gross | The Jaguar
    
    July 18, 2017 at 6:18 pm
    
    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.
    
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nickie

July 29, 2017 at 2:38 am

Seems like a really exciting experience! Good luck hope your work is impactful 🙂

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1. Jess T.
  
  July 29, 2017 at 4:10 pm
  
  Thanks for reading!
  
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Q&A with Environmental Blogger and Upcoming Scientist Jessica Turner – The Jaguar

May 20, 2018 at 12:00 pm

[…] the summer of 2017 you worked as a Research Assistant at Syracuse University. What was that research project about, and what was your role in […]

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SMART Watersheds – definearth

October 28, 2019 at 6:20 pm

[…] in a wet lab measuring it, click on any of the links in this post or read my previous tales: SU-mmer Studies, Hubbard Brook, and How Clean Can UV? Thanks for reading and have a great […]

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