ribbon cutting on new facilities - clemson.edu. skip judson van bloem from michigan state...
TRANSCRIPT
Page | 1 Clemson University – Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Sciences
Newsletter of The Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Science, Clemson University (Winter 2014)
Ribbon Cutting on New Facilities
The office building of Clemson Baruch Institute
We are currently planning ribbon cutting
and debut events for our new student
housing and headquarters buildings. We
expect the events to be held in late April,
2014. Stay tuned to our Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/bicefs) where
we will confirm the dates as soon they are
set.
Our LEED gold-certified headquarters
building has faculty and staff offices, a
smart classroom, and conference facilities.
It is a fantastic facility. We expect to make
the conference facilities available for wider
use as we expand opportunities to get people
behind the gate to see what Clemson is
doing in terms of research, teaching, and
extension.
The construction of The John B. Harris III Student Center
will be completed in early 2014.
One obstacle facing Clemson students and
faculty who want to do research at Hobcaw
is the lack of affordable housing.
Georgetown’s location isn’t convenient for
a one-day-trip to the field. Thanks to the
generosity of Marian and John Harris, we
now have housing (The John B. Harris III
Student Center) for 8 people in a new
lowcountry style cottage at Hobcaw. This
facility was years in the making, but is
finally nearing completion.
New Lowcountry style cottage
Page | 2 Clemson University – Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Sciences
Message from the Director
Dr. Skip Judson Van Bloem
When an opening occurs in a forest, a young
tree in the understory will grow rapidly to
become a strong, tall member of the forest
canopy. In tree ring studies, these periods of
rapid growth are identified by a series of
wide rings. Just like the young tree,
Clemson University’s Baruch Institute is
beginning a period of growth.
Part of our strategy for expanding the
Institute is to find ways to interact better
with those of you who are interested in
knowing what happens “behind the gate.”
This newsletter is a start in that direction.
Thanks to Dr. Alex Chow for volunteering
to put it together.
In the spring, we’ll debut our new student
housing and have a long-awaited grand
opening of our new headquarters building.
Another sign of our growth are new hires.
With partial funding from the Tom Yawkey
Foundation, we will be hiring a wildlife
biologist this spring. That position will be
the second new addition in the academic
year, following my arrival at the Institute as
director last September.
Part of my responsibility as the new director
is to develop a new strategic plan to help
guide the growth of the Institute in terms of
research, outreach, and education. My job is
made easier by having a motivated and
professional faculty and staff, and the
enthusiastic support of our administration on
campus.
A little bit of my background: I grew up in
Michigan and have a Ph.D. in forest ecology
from Michigan State University. My family
and I lived in Puerto Rico for the last 8
years. My wife and I were professors at the
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez,
where I served as Chairman of the
Department of Crops and Environmental
Sciences and a project leader for the US
Forest Service. My research explores how
forests respond to disturbance events like
hurricanes and fires.
Institute former director, Dr. Gene Eidson,
remains with Clemson University as director
of the Institutes of Computational Ecology
and the Centers for Urban Ecology and
helps lead the Intelligent River project. We
thank him for his service to the Baruch
Institute and his continued collaboration.
If you have particular ideas or comments
you’d like to share with me, please do so at
[email protected]. You can also follow
our activities, including some excellent
photos of fieldwork, on our Facebook page.
We hope you’ll join with us as we grow
some wide rings.
Page | 3 Clemson University – Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Sciences
Forested Wetland Ecology
Forested wetlands have been an influential component of the economy and culture
since the earliest settlements. These ecosystems have been used for transportation,
food and fiber, flood control, wildlife habitat, recreation, and often as fertile sites for
conversion to agriculture. The importance of these areas to society as a whole has
been recognized more in recent years and there has been a surge in research activity
in these areas. Here at the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science,
Dr. William Conner heads up a variety of research projects including recovery
mechanisms of forested wetlands following disturbance, regeneration problems in
forested wetlands, response of woody species to flooding and salinity, impact of
water management on wetland productivity, and regional studies of wetland
processes. The forested wetland program is designed to look at short- and long-term
ecosystem response to disturbance whether it be natural (hurricanes, climate change,
sea level rise, etc.) or man-made (logging, hydrological changes, etc.). The program
stresses a hierarchical approach looking at wetlands from the species, habitat, and
regional levels. A Forested Wetlands Ecology class is taught as a May semester
course in even years. For more information on this research area, contact Dr.
William Conner ([email protected]).
Page | 4 Clemson University – Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Sciences
Stormwater Dr. Dan Hitchcock investigates the use of green infrastructure for stormwater
management and watershed hydrology. Dan says he wants to understand "when it rains, where does
the water go and why, and how can we better manage the stormwater." Current urban hydrology
projects are located in Aiken, SC (Dr. Gene Eidson is P.I.) and in Cary, NC (with NC State
University). A new Sea Grant project will begin this year to study natural and engineered wetlands for
coastal stormwater management. Examples of Dan’s ongoing outreach efforts include technical
guidance for the Waccamaw Regional Council of Governments as they develop a watershed-based plan
in Murrells Inlet, SC to reduce bacteria loading and protect shellfish harvesting beds from
contamination and closure. He has also been reviewing and offering research contributions to the
Coastal SC Low Impact Development Manual, currently in development by the ACE Basin and North
Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserves and the Center for Watershed Protection.
Microplastics Drs. Alex Chow, Xubiao Yu (Visiting Scientist), and Anna Toline
(National Park Service) are currently examining the occurrences of microplastics in coastal ecosystems.
Microplastics are characterized as small particles that are less than 1 mm in size. Different from
common plastic debris, microplastics are easily swallowed by small animals and fish. Fish and marine
worms eating microplastics from the ocean or sediment can bioaccumulate organic pollutants such as
flame retardants into their bodies, causing hepatic (liver) stress. Sand and sediment samples from 16
selected national parks of the southeast coast, from North Carolina to Louisiana, are collected for
detailed chemical and physical analyses. This study will yield new information on the risk of
microplastic on marine organisms in this region. This project is funded by the National Park Service
Southeast Region.
Marsh Evaluation Dr. Jamie Duberstein is gearing up to start a tidal marsh study
funded by the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). The USACE is planning to deepen the shipping
channel in the Savannah River to accommodate deeper draft vessels, and will monitor the impacts to
the marsh vegetation upstream in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. This winter 12 monitoring
sites will be selected, with vegetation sampling set to begin in April 2014. A temporary, full-time
technician will be hired to assist with the duties; interested persons should visit the Clemson University
website for more information:
http://www.clemson.edu/employment/prospective/findjobs.html
Fire Dr. Alex Chow has recently received a RAPID research grant from National Science
Foundation (NSF) to examine the impacts of the recent Yosemite Rim Fire on the source waters that
supply water to 2.6 million people in San Francisco and nearby areas. The study addresses three
important health concerns of this fire disaster: 1) Does wildfire generate any toxic chemicals that may
threaten drinking water supplies? 2) Is there any difference, in terms of treatability and drinking water
quality, of surface water drained from burned forest watershed compared to unburned watershed? and
3) If any, how long do these impacts last in the environment after a fire?
Page | 5 Clemson University – Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology & Forest Sciences
Opportunities
A temporary, full-time technician – The Forest Ecology Group is hiring a field technician to assist in
a tidal marsh study funded by the US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). Interested persons should
visit the Clemson University website for more information:
http://www.clemson.edu/employment/prospective/findjobs.html or contact Dr. Dr. Jamie Duberstein at
PhD Research Assistantship – The Biogeochemistry and Environmental Quality Research Group
(http://people.clemson.edu/~ACHOW/) is seeking two highly motivated PhD candidates to participate
in a project recently funded by the USDA NIFA. For further information regarding this position please
contact Dr. Alex Chow via email at [email protected].
Research scientists at Baruch Institute
discovered a new invasive aquatic animal in
coastal forested swamp!
Director: Skip Judson Van Bloem
Editor: Alex Chow
Cartoon: Tusn-Lam (Kelvin) Cheah (Waccamaw High School)
Contributors (listed as alphabetically by surname): Alex Chow,
William Conner, Jamie Duberstein, Dan Hitchcock, Xubiao Yu
Contact Information
Mailing Address: PO Box 596, Georgetown, SC 29442
Phone: 843-546-1013
Fax: 843-546-6296
Web Site
http://www.clemson.edu/public/rec/baruch/
https://www.facebook.com/bicefs
Physical Address:
Hwy 17 North – 130 Heriot Road
Georgetown, SC 29440
Direction:
From Myrtle Beach, take Highway 17 south about 35 miles.
Hobcaw Barony will be on the left one mile past DeBordieu.
From Georgetown, take Highway 17 north, Hobcaw Barony will
be on the right one mile out of Georgetown.