Team: Integrated Assessment Modeling
Project Title: Hydrological Droughts and Harmful Algal Blooms
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Prof. Asim Zia
Mentor: Dr. Panagiotis (Takis) D. Oikonomou, Postdoctoral Associate
Research Description:
Natural stresses and anthropogenic activities are affecting water quality of inland water bodies. Major concern in many places around the world, including the US, are the increasing patterns of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in lake systems. Projected changes in future extreme events due to climate change will further affect water resources systems. Understanding the response to such events in a integrated manner is central for environmental management and protection efforts.
The integrated Assessment Model at Vermont EPSCoR contains a chain of models that simulate physical processes (e.g. climate, hydrology, nutrients) and anthropogenic activities (e.g. land use change, governance, and macroeconomic model). Thus, the IAM has the capacity to simulate the coupled natural and human systems and explore their combined effects on water quality. The selected intern will utilize datasets from the IAM in order to investigate relationships between drought phenomena and the development of HABs. While there are many drought manifestations, the focus of this project is on hydrological drought.
Main Duties:
- Analyze lake water quality output data
- Prepare and analyze climate input data
- Assist with literature review
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
This internship is targeted to applicants with interest and skills in data analysis, water resources, extreme events, and/or environmental science. Proficiency in MS Excel is required along with some knowledge of statistical analysis. Basic programming (R, Matlab, Python) and knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a plus. In the application package, please describe any relevant information about prior research experience and related courses taken in the fields of programming, statistics, environment/water engineering and GIS.
Structure:
The selected intern will be based in a University of Vermont office setting with other Social Systems, Ecology and Climate interns. The interaction with the primary mentor will be on a daily basis with formal meetings taking place once a week to set weekly/short term goals. In addition, the intern will meet with other members of the project, including the faculty mentor. Although the envisioned work does not require any data collection, there are occasional opportunities to join other teams for fieldwork if that is of interest. Interns will be required to participate in all CWDD activities (e.g., potential outings to stakeholder groups, and professional development opportunities).
Team: Social Systems
Project Title: General equilibrium modeling
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Bill Gibson
Research Description:
The summer intern will assist in the development and running simulations of the BREE computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. This is a regional model based on data from social accounting matrices from IMPLAN for Vermont and New York. The intern will be responsible for modifying and running programs to prepare data for the modeling effort, such as sectoral aggregation state space parameterization. The model is then solved in the general algebraic modeling system (GAMS) and simulation results will be linked to the agent-based model developed for the BREE project. Spaghetti diagrams are used extensively in this research.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Skills required are computational such as editing (LaTeX in Overleaf) and parameter preparation in Excel. No previous GAMS experience is required but the ideal candidate must be willing to learn how to prepare and run simulations in a data intensive environment. Strong Excel skills are expected and some experience with Python is also a plus. Above all, the candidate must have a strong background in economic analysis and the economic way of thinking, using standard models in the undergraduate curriculum. The CGE is a combination of the Keynesian model (in the short run) and the Solow model (in the long-run). Pigouvian taxes and subsidies are introduced so study the effect on phosphorus run off in the Champlain basin. This position would be a great fit for a student with an Economics background.
Structure:
This intern will have weekly interactions with the faculty advisor/ Work will be conducted in an office setting. There will be no field work for this position. Interns will be required to participate in all CWDD activities (e.g., potential outings to stakeholder groups, and professional development opportunities).
Team: Ecological Systems
Project Title: Catchment-scale water partitioning
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Drs. Andrew Schroth and Carol Adair
Mentor: Ravindra Dwivedi
Research Description:
The ecology group is interested in how nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus) and water move through watersheds within the Lake Champlain Basin that have different LULC types, as they have significant impacts on the Lake’s water quality. To better understand how different water fluxes influence nutrient transport processes, we have installed monitoring/sampling networks in three watersheds: one agricultural, one urban, and one forested. During this internship we will analyze various hydrologic fluxes and subsurface storages at a watershed scale to understand what controls water partitioning at a large scale.
During the internship period, the intern is expected to: (i) perform some manual calculations in excel for program output validation, (ii) obtain copies of any relevant publications from UVM library system, (iii) obtain data from any relevant papers from their supporting information documents, (iv) perform any laboratory work on the UVM campus (on an as needed-basis), and (v) take a lead role in the presentation of the research findings during the final internship presentation. It is expected through the above five responsibilities, the intern would have an opportunity to work on cutting-edge research project whose findings would be very relevant to the VT EPSCoR BREE’s Integrated Assessment Modeling efforts to better understand Lake Champlain basin’s response to extreme weather events and changes in land cover and land use types. Through this project, it is also expected that the intern would be in a position to contribute to the literature on factors controlling basin-scale water partitioning.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Be able to search for required or any relevant publications through our library system
Be able to use Microsoft products such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint
Be able to or willing to use MATLAB® software available free of cost through our university
Be able to perform some Excel-based calculations and analysis
Structure:
Office location
The intern will work mostly from the 23 Mansfield Avenue EPSCoR office. Please note that only some laboratory work is associated with this project.
Faculty/mentor interactions
The mentor will interact with the intern on a weekly basis as a requisite, but he would be available to the intern whenever the student needs more help or guidance. The intern will also have bi-weekly meetings with her/his faculty advisors. The intern will attend ecological team bi-weekly meetings with other mentors, researchers and interns in the group.
Work evaluation
The mentor will evaluate student’s progress during the weekly meetings.
Required trainings
Interns will be required to participate in all CWDD activities (e.g., potential outings to stakeholder groups, and professional development opportunities).
Team: Ecological Sytems
Project Title: Biogeochemistry/ Environmental Microbiology
Physical Location: UVM
Number of Positions Available: 2
Faculty: Carol Adair, Andrew Schroth, Julia Perdrial
Mentor: Brittany Lancellotti & Dustin Kincaid
Research Description:
The watershed group is interested in how nutrients move through terrestrial ecosystems within the Lake Champlain Basin, as these processes have significant impacts on the Lake’s water quality. Riparian areas are of specific interest because of their ability to sequester and transform nutrients prior to entering waterways. To better understand how nitrogen is transformed within riparian soils, we have installed monitoring/sampling networks in four different riparian sites that track fluctuations in physical soil properties. We will collect soil water samples to analyze for nutrient concentrations and measure greenhouse gas fluxes from the riparian soil sites.
We will link these data with the soil monitoring data to the better describe the biogeochemical processes occurring within these sites. The spring snowmelt period is a highly dynamic time for riparian zones and an important hydrologic event for the watershed. We will analyze nutrient and gas flux data and may employ molecular techniques to isolate DNA from soil that was collected during spring snowmelt.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Prospective interns will have a genuine interest in biogeochemistry and experience working in a laboratory setting. Interns should be willing to complete fieldwork in a variety of weather conditions and have experience working with Microsoft Excel. Experience coding in R or similar program would be ideal. Prospective interns must be team players, as working together as cohesive group is required.
Structure:
The mentor will interact with interns on an almost daily basis to provide instruction and training on all laboratory and field procedures. A significant amount of time will also be dedicated to understanding the implications of our work/results. Interns will gain more independence with time management as the summer progresses but will still be given specific tasks and deadlines. Interns will be in both a laboratory and field setting. Interns will also collaborate with the groundwater team to complete event-based sampling campaigns, or other field/laboratory tasks.
Team: Integrated Assessment Modeling
Project Title: Scenario Development and Analysis
Physical Location: University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Asim Zia
Mentor: Elizabeth Doran
Research Description:
The BREE project is looking to build on the existing Adaptive Land Use and Land Cover Agent Based Model (ALL ABM) to analyze a series of land use change and management scenarios. There is particular interest in the adoption of specific nutrient management practices, development pressure and increased conservation. The land use and land cover model is then incorporated into an integrated modeling framework to understand nutrient dynamics and downstream water quality impacts within the Lake Champlain Basin system under different scenarios of extreme weather events and policy assumptions. The intern will work to support this effort by helping in one of several key areas that include generation of new wetlands-focused, rewilding and forest-loss, development scenario maps for use in the model environment, model development around best management practice adoption, or performing analysis of IAM model output under different scenarios. The intern will be expected to support this effort through the following activities:
- Leverage existing BRAT model to develop GIS raster layers where nature based rewilding is more likely to take place for inclusion in existing model cascade;
- Perform preliminary analysis and visualization of IAM ensemble model output in the R programming environment to assess land cover change and agent behavior impacts on downstream water quality; and,
- Assist in narrative development for management and land use change scenario outputs.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Environmental science or ecology background preferred; modeling experience or interest in modeling is required; GIS experience required; programming proficiency preferred, specifically in R or Python
Structure:
Prospective intern should plan to interact with their primary mentor multiple times per week in addition to weekly meetings with their faculty advisor. Additional open work sessions and overall program meetings and activities will also have mandatory attendance. Work will primarily occur in an office setting, however opportunities to join other teams for field work are possible.
Team: Social Systems
Project Title: BMP Farmer Survey Analysis
Physical Location: University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Asim Zia and Chris Koliba
Mentor: Elizabeth Doran
Research Description:
Lake Champlain, and many other freshwater systems across the world are experiencing increasing effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) due to high level of nutrients from anthropogenic activities. To better understand the implications of adopting particular practices designed to control nutrients, the BREE project is conducting a survey of farmers and their intention to adopt various nutrient management practices. The BREE team will use the information developed to understand and predict the likely impact of adoption of such practices within the study area watershed under different scenarios of extreme events and policy assumptions. The intern will be expected to leverage the third round of the farmer survey in support of this effort along with the following specific activities:
- Sync new data with previous survey waves;
- Exploratory analysis of survey results including temporal, and spatial analysis of survey responses;
- Assist with farmer agent decision model updates; and,
- Assist with creation of outreach summaries.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Social science background preferred; strong analytical skills required; proficiency with data analysis software a plus; programming proficiency preferred
Structure:
Prospective intern should plan to interact with their primary mentor multiple times per week in addition to periodic meetings with the faculty advisor. Additional open work sessions and overall program meetings and activities will also have mandatory attendance. Work will primarily occur in an office setting, however opportunities to join other teams for field work are possible.
Team: Climate
Project Title: Climate Statistics
Physical Location: University of Vermont
Number of Positions Available: 2
Faculty: Brian Beckage and Patrick Clemins
Mentor: Maike Holthuijzen
Research Description:
The major goal of the climate team is to use a regional climate model to assess the frequency, intensity, and spatial patterns of extreme events over the Lake Champlain Basin during this century over a variety of climate change scenarios. Interns will be 1) conducting exploratory analyses to assess the ability of modeled climate data in capturing extreme distributions, 2) fitting extreme value distributions to observed and modeled climate data, and 3) refining modeled climate output to better represent extreme events. Specifically, interns will help determine if modeled climate data requires further processing to adjust extreme events so the extreme events better match those in observed data. Interns will be responsible for constructing effective, publication-quality graphics, conducting exploratory analyses, and fitting data distributions using statistical software such as R. Other tasks will include data manipulation, writing clean and efficient code, using a Linux server, and writing a final report. The interns will have the opportunity to create and present their own research from the internship.
Software Skills and Knowledge:
Competence in R or Python preferred. Must have taken at least one course in statistics and one course in programming.
Structure:
Interns will meet weekly with mentor to assess progress and additionally as needed to plan their current tasks and work through challenges. Interns will attend weekly Climate Team Meetings led by faculty members. Work will be conducted in an office setting and will consist largely of data analysis and visualization using R or Python. This internship will provide interns the opportunity to improve their skillsets in data visualization, programming, communicating scientific results, and the basics of extreme value theory. There will be no field work for this position. Interns will be required to participate in all CWDD activities (e.g., potential outings to stakeholder groups, and professional development opportunities).
Team: Integrated Assessment Modeling
Project Title: River suspended sediment monitoring and machine learning
Physical Location: UVM
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Donna Rizzo and Mandar Dewoolkar
Mentor: Scott Hamshaw
Research Description:
Water quality sensors let us observe how much suspended sediment and nutrients are in rivers in near real-time. Analyzing how this suspended sediment varies during individual storms can provide information about the source of erosion in the watershed. In this project, the intern will participate in ongoing research aimed at understanding the relationship of suspended sediment concentration and river discharge during storm events through the use of machine learning.
The intern will help build up a "library" of storm events from river monitoring stations in Vermont and elsewhere in the Northeast, including from New York. The intern will assist with uncovering how the type of storm event is related to differences in watersheds (e.g., size, geology, land use), best management practices, and extreme event occurrences. This information will then allow us to predict the suspended sediment dynamics of a river where sensor data are not currently available. This study will make use of mapping tools such as GIS as well data mining and analysis tools.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Proficient in Microsoft Excel. Experience with either GIS software or basic programming (Matlab, Python, or R) is desired.
Structure:
The intern will multiple times a week with their mentor and with at least one of the faculty advisors weekly. Additional large-group and working meetings will occur throughout the course of the program. The majority of work will occur in an office setting, on the University of Vermont campus; however, occasional opportunities for optional off-campus activities are possible. Interns will be required to participate in all CWDD activities (e.g., potential outings to stakeholder groups, and professional development opportunities).
Team: Ecological Systems
Project Title: Lake biogeochemistry
Physical Location: UVM
Number of Positions Available: 2
Faculty: Andrew Schroth
Mentor: Graduate student Wilton Burns and research technician Saul Blocher
Research Description:
The lake biogeochemistry group is working to understand processes that affect the timing and intensity of summer cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Champlain. The BREE grant has an emphasis on the role of extreme weather events on the nutrient dynamics that lead to these harmful blooms. Interns will help deploy a sensor network in Lake Champlain and assist in weekly water sampling and laboratory prep work. Independent research projects will be carried out using water quality data from the sensors. Interns will interpret nutrient concentration data to determine seasonal nutrient dynamics and impacts of extreme events. We are looking for undergraduate students to join our team that are interested in working with big data, participating in a demanding but rewarding summer field season, and taking a hands-on approach to learning about the biogeochemistry of Lake Champlain. Manual labor in sensor deployment is required and interns should be prepared for weekly field sampling in a variety of weather conditions.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Interest in nutrient cycling and lake biogeochemistry, experience with computer programming a plus but not required, ability to swim, comfortable on small research vessels
Structure: How often will intern interact with mentor? Faculty? Are there regular team meetings? Where will the work occur (field, lab, office)?
These positions will involve a mix of laboratory and field work out on Lake Champlain. Primary mentor will interact with interns on an almost daily basis, with tasks given to the intern on days when face-to-face interaction is not possible. There will be biweekly Ecology group meetings that will have a primary mentor (grad student/post doc) and/or one of the faculty advisors give a ~20 minute research talk that also illustrates how their research fits into the larger context of BREE. This will be followed by intern group updates on how they have spent the previous two weeks in their respective labs.
Team: Social Systems
Project Title: Climate Change Resilience through Town Planning and Water Quality Governance (Local, Regional and State Scales)
Number of Positions Available: 1 to 2
Faculty: Dr. Richard Kujawa and Dr. Clare Ginger
Mentor: Dr. Richard Kujawa and Dr. Clare Ginger
Research Description:
The purpose of this Summer 2020 internship will be to examine efforts in Vermont to increase resilience to extreme events driven by climate change, and to increase water quality by exploring policy development and implementation. This examination will have a primary focus on the municipal level; though interactions with regional and state policies will be considered. The internship include the following tasks:
- Assess municipal development plans to characterize policy intentions to increase flood resilience and mitigate flood hazards, especially related to land use restrictions, natural resource protection, stormwater management, and water quality.
- Characterize the status of town-level efforts to meet requirements to reduce stormwater discharge and improve water quality through the state program addressing municipal roads.
- Review municipal planning documents to identify sources of external support identified by towns as important to taking action to implement plans.
- Examine and review Flood Ready Vermont data related to the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund program; explore programmatic changes and update/assess the status of river corridor ordinances at the town level.
- Contribute to social sciences team efforts underway during summer 2020, as assigned
Activities will include web-based research on regional and local governance; continued development and analysis of existing data (using collaborative tools in the Google Suite and Microsoft Excel); analysis of individual and group interviews, observation of public meetings; and archival/media research. Training and support for spreadsheet database management and content analysis will be provided.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
- A course or prior experience in environmental, land use or water quality policy, law, planning, or management
- Introductory knowledge about climate change, extreme events, and implications for human settlements
- Curiosity about social dimensions of environment and natural resource management
- Computer skills for using the internet and spreadsheets to gather, organize, and enter data
- Interest in learning and applying data analysis skills
- Interpersonal skills and interest in interacting with local and regional planners and managers
Software Skills and Knowledge:
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word and Excel)
- Google Sheets
- Training in HyperResearch will be provided as needed
Structure:
- Interns' daily work occurs at 23 Mansfield Avenue EPSCoR office on the University of Vermont campus. Interns may also use the Howe Library at the University of Vermont as a research site. Work occurs primarily in an office environment. Some field experience will likely be part of the internship (may include individual and group interviews, phone interviews, archival work at the State Archive and other appropriate work).
- Faculty mentors work closely with the interns in weekly meetings to set goals and report on progress. Additional meetings or work sessions will be scheduled as needed.
- Mentors and interns interact via email on a regular basis. Daily supervision contact will be provided by post-docs/BREE staff located at 23 Mansfield.
- Team wide/IAM intern meetings may also be held at the request of the team leads for Social System and IAM. These meetings include brief reports and discussion of team-wide projects, tasks that are broader then this Kujawa/Ginger internship, and logistical/social connections.
- Interns will engage in plenary workshops and trainings provided by CWDD.
- Availability for cross-team collaborations will also be considered when appropriate.
Team: Ecological Syrems
Project Title: Watershed and Soil Biogeochemistry
Physical Location: UVM
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Andrew Schroth, Carol Adair
Mentor: Dustin Kincaid
Research Description:
The student will participate in ongoing research that seeks to understand the influence of watershed processes on water quality. Projects will be designed around the student’s interests but will broadly focus on one of the following: 1) understanding how watersheds influence storm-driven solute transport in streams, or 2) investigating the influence of soil biogeochemical processes in riparian wetlands on greenhouse gas production or stream water quality. The students will collect and analyze data from the field, which may include water or greenhouse gas chemistry in combination with high-frequency sensor data from streams and/or riparian wetlands.
The student will collect samples from multiple sources in the watershed (soils, groundwater, or streams) and analyze them for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other key elemental concentrations. They will also learn to maintain and gather data from a network of cutting-edge stream and soil sensors. The student on this project will be able to utilize past data to get a head start on their project, while also continuing data collection over the course of the summer internship. The individual chosen for this project will assist with field sampling, sensor maintenance, laboratory analyses, data analysis, and presentation of results.
Specific Skills/Experiences Required:
The most important qualification is a desire to learn new skills and an interest in working in diverse settings (field, lab, office). The student will be required at times to spend long days outside and should be comfortable in or near water and also be able to engage in physical labor (e.g., carrying heavy backpacks, digging holes in soil). Other preferred skills include proficiency with Microsoft Excel or R and experience working in field or laboratory settings.
Structure:
The student will interact with their mentor on an almost daily basis. When daily interactions with are not possible, clearly defined tasks will be given to the student ahead of time.
The student will participate in bi-weekly meetings with the entire Ecology group, where they will report on their research as well as hear from other interns and postdocs/faculty about other aspects of BREE research. These meetings will also be an opportunity for the student to interact with their faculty advisers.
This project will provide an opportunity to experience a combination of lab, field, and office work. The student will be in the field approximately once per week to collect samples, and will be responsible for running these samples in the lab as well as conducting preliminary analyses of the data. In addition to routine sampling trips, there may be the opportunity to assist on other field sampling campaigns to learn additional field skills.
Team: Climate
Project Title: Hydroclimatology
Physical Location: University of Vermont
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux and Arne Bomblies
Mentor: Caitlin Crossett
Research Description:
The goals of the hydroclimatology team are to determine how heavy precipitation and drought events arise within the Northeast US. The hydroclimatology intern will perform analysis on past heavy precipitation events or droughts within the Northeast US to determine how their frequency, intensity, and drivers have changed over time. The intern in this position will utilize the ERA5 climate reanalysis dataset to examine atmospheric and land-surface characteristics. By knowing how these events have emerged in the past, one can make better predictions of how they may look from a climatological perspective in the future.
Specific Skill/Experiences Desired:
Competence in MATLAB, Python or a similar computer programming language preferred. Must have taken at least one course in programming. This would be a good position for a student with a n interest in atmospheric sciences.
Structure:
The intern will have weekly meetings with their mentors and bi-weekly meetings with faculty advisors. The intern will work from the 23 Mansfield Ave. EPSCoR office and no fieldwork is associated with this project. Interns will be required to participate in all CWDD activities (e.g. potential outings to stakeholder groups, and professional development opportunities).
Team: Social Systems
Project Title: Modeling Social Systems in the Lake Champlain Basin
Physical Location: 23 Mansfield Ave, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Asim Zia
Mentor: Kevin Andrew
Research Description:
The Lake Champlain Basin is a complex system containing many interacting decision-making individuals and organizations. The Deep Agent-Based Model (Deep ABM) is a model using deep machine learning to investigate potential behavioral trends within this system in response to changing economical and ecological situations. Findings from the Deep ABM will be used for characterization of human agents in the BREE Integrated Assessment Model. The intern will assist in the development, testing and validation of social systems and environmental feedback models for the region.
Work will include the following:
- Assisting in the development and validation of machine learning model predictivity and accuracy compared to real world data
- Parameterization and queueing of model runs
- Statistical analysis of model behavior and accuracy over runs
Specific Skills and Experience Desired:
A background in computer or data science is preferred, but not mandatory; some knowledge of statistical analysis would be useful; experience or interest in computer programming is preferred.
Structure:
The intern will have regular meetings with their mentor multiple times a week and meetings with their faculty advisor weekly, and additionally as needed. Additional large-group and working meetings will occur throughout the course of the program. The majority of work will occur in an office setting, on the UVM campus; however, occasional opportunities for optional off-campus activities are possible.
Team: Integrated Assessment Modeling
Project Title: Quantifying improvements to social welfare from achieving nutrient reduction targets
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Asim Zia & Donna Rizzo
Mentor: Jesse Gourevitch
Research Description:
Achieving nutrient reduction targets designed to improve water quality and reduce harmful algal blooms can create large benefits and costs for society. In the Lake Champlain Basin (LCB) in Vermont, the costs associated with meeting these targets are relatively well known, while the benefits of improved water quality are largely unquantified. Improvements in lake water quality can benefit many aspects of human well-being and lead to gains in social welfare. These benefits include increases in tourism expenditures, housing prices, and recreational visitation, as well as improvements to mental and physical health. This project will focus specifically on how improvements in Lake Champlain water quality may lead to 1) reductions in treatment costs for public water suppliers in the LCB, and 2) decreases in the incidence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disease associated with exposure to harmful algal blooms. Quantifying these benefits, in both monetary and non-monetary terms, is critical for generating political support for investing in water quality improvements and for designing efficient policies to meet reduction targets.
The responsibilities of the intern for this project will include:
- Review existing literature on non-market valuation approaches for estimating the value of changes in water quality.
- Gather data on drinking water treatment costs and epidemiological relationships for linking changes in water quality with health outcomes.
- Assist with pre- and post-processing of geospatial data layers required for model simulations and model validation.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Linking changes in water quality with impacts on human well-being will require creative thinking, problem solving, and a diversity of skillsets. An interdisciplinary background is essential and interest in environmental economics, epidemiology, ecosystem services, and spatial modeling are preferable. Proficiency in Python and ArcGIS are recommended, and experience with processing remote sensing imagery would be desirable.
Structure:
The intern will be based in a University of Vermont office setting with other Integrated Assessment Modeling and Social Systems team interns. Given the emphasis on simulation modeling in this project, the intern should enjoy computed-based work and be comfortable working independently. Check-in meetings with the mentor will be scheduled weekly, and informal meetings can be set up as needed.
Team: Ecological sytems
Topic Area: Lake Carmi biogeochemistry
Physical Location: UVM
Number of Positions Available: 1
Faculty: Andrew Schroth and Clelia Marti
Mentor: Prof. Andrew Schroth and Research Technician Saul Blocher
Research Description:
This intern will work with the Lake Biogeochemistry Group to study the impacts of aeration (bubbling) on reducing harmful algal blooms and phosphorus concentrations in a lake were active remediation efforts are occurring. For more information, review this news article https://vtdigger.org/2019/07/02/the-deeper-dig-can-technology-save-lake-carmi/. Students will work with existing data collected from previous sensors and water sampling efforts and assist in preparation for and assisting in biweekly field sampling events on the lake, as well as associated compilation of new data for the 2020 field season. The student’s project will focus on assessing changes in phosphorus cycling in the lake as a result of the aeration. We are looking for an undergraduate student to join our team that is interested in working with big data, participating in a demanding but rewarding summer field season, and taking a hands-on approach to learning about the biogeochemistry of Lake Carmi and how this man made ‘intervention’ has impacted the lake’s biogeochemistry. Manual labor may be required and interns should be prepared for biweekly field sampling on a boat in a variety of weather conditions. There will be many opportunities to collaborate with other students and faculty studying lake biogeochemistry as well as State officials that are involved in this project.
Specific Skills/Experiences Desired:
Interest in nutrient cycling and lake biogeochemistry, experience with computer programming is a plus but not required, ability to swim, comfort on small (~20 ft center counsoule) research vessels.
Structure: How often will intern interact with mentor? Faculty? Are there regular team meetings? Where will the work occur (field, lab, office)?
These positions will involve a mix of laboratory and field work out on Lake Champlain. One of the primary mentors will interact with interns on an almost daily basis, with tasks given to the intern on days when face-to-face interaction is not possible. There will be biweekly Ecology group meetings that will have a primary mentor (grad student/post doc) and/or one of the faculty advisors give a ~20 minute research talk that also illustrates how their research fits into the larger context of BREE. This will be followed by intern group updates on how they have spent the previous two weeks in their respective labs.