Archive for Laura Triplett

$25,000 InTeGrate grant aims to increase climate literacy across campus

This spring, a group of faculty was awarded a $25,000 SERC/InTeGrate grant to develop teaching modules about climate change.  Julie Bartley (Geology and ES) led the proposal, which also includes Jim Dontje (Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation and ES Director), Laura Triplett (Geology and ES), Cindy  Johnson (Biology and ES), Michele Koomen (Education), and Jeff […]

Environmental Studies seniors leave a bike-friendly legacy

  This article was written by Matt Thomas for the Gustavus main page.  All Environmental Studies seniors participate in Senior Seminar projects; this is one awesome example of what our students accomplish! In 2012 when Gustavus Adolphus College administrators were negotiating a new contract with major beverage providers, Director of Dining Service Steve Kjellgren asked […]

Natural History and Conservation Biology of Tanzania (J-Term 2013)

Written by Professor Cindy Johnson (Biology & Environmental Studies) Photos by students in the class I have traveled to the Serengeti many times, yet I marvel each time as I gaze at thousands of wildebeest, zebra and Thompson’s gazelle.   There are no words to describe the vastness of the Serengeti; the animals that stretch as […]

Students Explored Wilderness Management Issues During J-Term Course

The goal of GEG 151 (Wilderness: Recreation and Resource) was to expand students’ understanding and appreciation of wilderness through an examination of recreational activities and natural resource uses. In particular, the class focused on the human dimensions of recreation and extractive activities including their historical and contemporary context, the agencies and management strategies related to […]

Environmental Geochemistry J-term class heads north

During the first week of January, Prof. Jeff Jeremiason’s Geochemistry Research Methods class took a trip to Marcell Experimental Forest, located just north of Grand Rapids, MN. The Marcell Experimental Forest is a sampling location for one of the class research projects this term. Students learned about the different wetlands and some of the current […]

Rallying to mitigate climate change

In November, 13 Gustavus students and 3 faculty attended the “Do the Math” rally in Minneapolis hosted by MN350.org. We heard great talks from Bill McKibben, Winona LaDuke, Marty Cobenais, Kate Faye and Will Steger, with an opening act by Mason Jennings.  We also met up with Paul Thompson, a Gustie alum and key player […]

Investigating pollutants in northern Minnesota

This summer, student researchers have been collecting water and soil samples from a bog in northern Minnesota to investigate how mercury, a toxic pollutant, and other metals are transported through ecosystems.  This work is part of an ongoing study led by Prof. Jeremiason at the Marcell Experimental Forest near Grand Rapids, MN.  Pictured are Emily […]

Millions and billions of years ago…

On May Day, students from GEO 111: Principles of Geology (part of the original ES major) hiked around Interstate State Park on the eastern border of Minnesota.  In the photo above, they found a rock outcrop where 1.1 billion year-old volcanic rock is directly overlain by ~500 million year-old sedimentary rock.  So, while we know that volcanoes were […]

Tracking the animals

Last week, a group of Environmental Studies students strapped on their snowshoes and followed Jon Grinnell (Biology), Joel Carlin (Biology) and Laura Triplett (Geology) into the woods down by the river.   We saw deer beds, cottontail rabbit browse, shrew holes and a multitude of squirrel tracks.  It was nice to get outside and learn a […]

Lake mud may reveal environmental change

On January 6, students taking the J-Term course “Paleolimnology” (GEO 110) retrieved three sediment cores from Lake Hallett in St. Peter, with assistance from researchers from the University of Minnesota’s Limnological Research Center.  Lake sediments accumulate slowly over time, so they can record signals of environmental changes that happened before people were monitoring the lake.  […]