Niobrara Research

MJ Author

08/14/2019 Added

391 Plays

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Students get research experience in the field as part of a project that studies how the Niobrara River in Nebraska is affected by human interaction.

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[00:00:00.140](water splashing) (soft upbeat music)
[00:00:02.790]This summer, I get to work on an undergraduate
[00:00:05.770]research project, the Niobrara River Project.
[00:00:09.500]And so basically, I'm working on sampling
[00:00:12.020]algae in the river and that basically can kinda help
[00:00:15.530]us identify the water quality on the Niobrara River.
[00:00:20.280]This is important to me because it helps me
[00:00:22.230]really understand the human interactions
[00:00:24.460]with our natural ecosystems.
[00:00:26.371](people cheering)
[00:00:27.860]That's something that I've always been interested in
[00:00:29.590]is knowing how human activity or recreation
[00:00:31.920]just impacts our environment.
[00:00:33.870]And this really gives me that tangible experience
[00:00:36.110]to understand that better.
[00:00:37.876](water splashing)
[00:00:39.550]Environmental studies was a major I decided to pursue,
[00:00:42.070]because I find nature just so rejuvenating.
[00:00:45.370]And I felt the need to basically discover
[00:00:48.480]how to help it and protect it.
[00:00:51.320]I'm gonna go over there I think so.
[00:00:53.350]Right now we are doing our second trip out
[00:00:55.710]to the Niobrara River.
[00:00:57.230]And we are picking out 17 sites,
[00:01:00.550]ranging from like low human activity and impact,
[00:01:03.430]to moderate, to heavy human impact.
[00:01:06.054](water bubbling)
[00:01:07.860]And basically I get to pick up rocks,
[00:01:10.710]or sample some bedrock or sand, and look at algae.
[00:01:14.650]And basically just see how those different impact areas,
[00:01:18.430]affect how that algae can grow.
[00:01:21.050]There's a lot of tourism that happens in the river.
[00:01:23.210]There's still a lot of cattle ranching
[00:01:24.990]that happens around it.
[00:01:26.470]And so we're here to study
[00:01:27.870]to see how the water quality actually is,
[00:01:31.130]and how it changes with different land use types.
[00:01:33.950]One of the really exciting things for me,
[00:01:36.870]is to work with undergraduate students.
[00:01:38.510]I think it's such a fascinating opportunity,
[00:01:40.840]to get students out in the field,
[00:01:42.470]to learn something about the environment around them.
[00:01:45.070]And to give them the chance to learn
[00:01:46.330]the scientific method in a very hands-on way.
[00:01:49.970]And the U Care program helps sponsor that,
[00:01:52.170]and gives students a bit of salary support
[00:01:54.920]so that they can be out and doing research projects.
[00:01:58.220]Dr. Corman is definitely a mentor to me,
[00:02:00.720]because it's really easy to just be in the field,
[00:02:04.900]or in the lab, and just kind of have her critiques,
[00:02:07.340]and just helping you along to figure out what you're doing.
[00:02:09.430]Especially for me since this is my first
[00:02:11.040]field research project.
[00:02:13.110]As an under graduate,
[00:02:14.710]perhaps the most profound experience I had
[00:02:17.600]was a summer research experience.
[00:02:20.130]And it really instilled in me a passion
[00:02:22.300]for doing research,
[00:02:23.980]and the importance of outdoor experiences.
[00:02:26.510]And that's part of my drive to give those experiences
[00:02:28.690]to the students that I mentor as well.
[00:02:31.249](water bubbling)
[00:02:33.490]The hardest part is actually been
[00:02:34.850]just fighting the current.
[00:02:36.270]So a lot of times with like collecting samples,
[00:02:38.570]I gotta hold things steady.
[00:02:40.000]I gotta find proper footing,
[00:02:41.680]and it's hard to not kinda get pushed back
[00:02:44.500]by the current constantly.
[00:02:46.510]So I'm definitely getting a workout
[00:02:48.170]while I'm out here collecting samples.
[00:02:52.660]I get to do the fun thing
[00:02:54.050]of taking those back to the lab.
[00:02:55.920]I get to analyze them for chlorophyll content.
[00:02:59.670]We get to weigh them.
[00:03:01.560]And then my favorite part;
[00:03:02.700]I get to look at em' under the microscope,
[00:03:04.580]and identify different diatoms, and things like that
[00:03:08.410]and just kinda understand the biodiversity out here.
[00:03:11.619](water bubbling)
[00:03:13.270]I was really excited to do
[00:03:15.370]the Environmental Studies program at UNL.
[00:03:17.740]I really wanted to get a really good big 10 education.
[00:03:22.130]And basically Nebraska
[00:03:24.280]is a very geographically unique state.
[00:03:26.440]Not a lot of people know that.
[00:03:27.890]And so getting to kinda do research across the state,
[00:03:31.270]has helped me see even more
[00:03:32.740]than I probably would have on my own.
[00:03:34.820]And I love to tell people about it,
[00:03:36.580]and just how exciting and different it can be out here.

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