OSU was well-represented at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Conference (SCAR OSC) this year. OSU attendees included Denise Mondragon (new PhD student), Professor Melisa Diaz, Profesor Terry Wilson, and Dr. Anne Grunow. The all-woman group was a testament to Byrd Polar’s tradition of female scientist representation in Antarctic research and discovery.
We are sad to share the news of the death of Professor Alan J. Saalfeld. His obituary can be viewed here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/columbus-oh/alan-saalfeld-11863249
We are also sad to share the news of the passing of Professor James W. Downs. His obituary can be found here: https://www.hughesmortuary.com/obituaries/james-winston-downs
Professor Mark Kleffner was elected to the Executive Committee of the National Association of Branch Campus Administrators for 2024-2025. Congratulations and thanks to Professor Kleffner for representing OSU on this national-scale academic committee.
Emi Chongsiriwatana, a SES undergraduate in the climate-water-environment track, spent this summer in Florida as an intern with the Sarasota County Department of Public Works. Emi joined technicians from the Stormwater Utility unit doing groundwater and surface water nutrient evaluations, sampling, and water quality improvement projects between June and August. Emi also used this time in Sarasota to work on her own research project, collecting data that could be used on her senior thesis, advised by Professor Ozeas Costa. Her research investigates water quality in urban streams draining into Sarasota Bay, which has been experiencing increasing number of toxic harmful algal blooms.
In July 2024 Lucas Carter (SES master’s student) and Stanislav Kutuzov (SES research scientist) spent a week conducting fieldwork in the Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains, Wyoming. During this expedition, the team hiked a total of 75 miles and climbed a total of 12,000 ft to drill (using a manual hand auger) an ice core from the Upper Fremont Glacier (Elev. 13,450 ft). This ice core will provide a unique century-scale archive of natural atmospheric PM2.5 and anthropogenic atmospheric PM2.5 pollutants such as mercury, lead, bismuth, and thallium occurring within interior North America. The data gathered from this ice core will allow researchers to better understand the contribution of natural and anthropogenic atmospheric PM2.5 over time, their sources, and how they interact with and influence Earth and human systems. Pictured from left to right are Lucas and Stanislav after successfully reaching the Upper Fremont Glacier, Stanislav drilling an ice core using a manual hand auger, Lucas and Stanislav after successfully collecting a portion of an ice core, and the view from our camp.
