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The Project Pathways Biodiversity Summer
Institute was made possible by the NSF-STEP Program at Eastfield
College in collaboration with the Big Thicket National Preserve.
The purpose of the program is to encourage students to consider
careers in the sciences by providing them with hands on experience
and access to sophisticated research equipment that is not
usually available at the undergraduate level. |
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During the first part
of the project the students had the opportunity to
work side by side with faculty and graduate student
mentors from collaborating research institutions including:
Texas A&M University, Sam Houston State University,
the National Park Service at the Big Thicket National
Preserve and mycologist, David Lewis.
Mentors
Michael Black
(photographer)
Dr. Bryan Boulanger
Dr. Jerry Cook
Dale Kruse
David Lewis
Graduate Students
Eastfield College Professors
| Michael
Black is a Beaumont, Texas native who
began making photographs as a child, returning
again and again to the same patches of forest
and beach. The Beauty and Mystery he encountered
deep within the Big Thicket National Preserve
and surrounding region ignited a lifelong artistic
dialog with the land. |
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After studying fine art at The University
of Texas, Michael left to explore the landscapes
of Southwest Colorado where he operated his
own gallery. In time, his heart called him
back to the luscious swamps, hidden flora
and waters of Southeast Texas.
It is his joy to give voice to these sometimes
subtle, other times dramatic, states of abundant
beauty.
Michael is dedicated to sharing his love of
the Big Thicket through his art, working with
The Big Thicket Association, the All Taxa
Biodiversity Inventory, and through teaching
nature photography workshops to individuals
and small groups.
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Dr. Bryan Boulanger joined the Texas
A&M faculty as an assistant professor
within the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering’s
Environmental and Water Resources Division
in August of 2007.
Research in the Boulanger laboratory employs
a multidisciplinary approach involving laboratory
and field studies to work on many projects
covering areas of water, energy, and sustainability.
Educational interests seek to integrate research
results by providing hands on learning opportunities
for multigenerational audiences.
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Dr. Jerry
Cook is currently the Associate Vice
President for Research at Sam Houston State
University (SHSU). Prior to this appointment,
he served as a Program Director at the National
Science Foundation and as an Associate Professor
in the Department of Biological Sciences at
SHSU.
The regular courses Jerry taught were non-major’s
Contemporary Biology, Zoology, and Entomology,
however, he taught sections of fourteen other
classes since coming to SHSU in 1998.
Dr. Cook is currently conducting research on
the ecology and systematics of the insect families
Formicidae and Strepsiptera, as well as having
a National Science Foundation grant to work
on aquatic insects and their parasites. The
Cook lab includes four graduate students and
two undergraduates.
Other activities of Jerry Cook include being
the first President of the Big Thicket All Taxa
Biological Inventory and Associate Editor of
the Southwestern Naturalist.
Dr. Cook and his wife, Dr. Tamara Cook (a parasitiologist
and Associate Dean at SHSU) live outside of
Huntsville, Texas. |
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| David
Lewis began study at Lamar as a chemistry
major but changed to environmental science.
Interest in organic chemistry and the exotic
compounds to be found in fungi and plants led
Lewis to a graduate degree in biology. He started
photographing mushrooms at about the same time. |
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While
developing his avocation as a mycologist,
Lewis worked as a chemist at Great Lakes Carbon
in Port Arthur for a number of years before
moving to Temple Inland (the mill is now Mead
Westvaco). He retired in August of 2004 and
now plans to spend more time writing and organizing
his collections he has 500 to 750 in the process.
Lewis has donated around 5,000 collections
to museums around the country.Most are at
the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Lewis has co-authored a description of a new
species from Mississippi and Texas in Mycotaxon
and is working with other mycologists on papers
on several other new species.
Lewis is president of the Gulf States Mycological
Society, which has members from Florida to
central Texas.
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Graduate
Student Mentors
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Ishan
Desai
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Rick
Lewis
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Eddie
Realzola
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The
students spent the rest of the summer working on their
research project at the NSF-STEP Microscopy Lab on campus.
They used state of the art equipment such as the scanning
electron microscope in their research.
On July 29, 2009 each student gave an oral presentation
of their experimental results and also received achievement
certificates for their efforts in the Eastfield College
science building. |
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Bryophytes
Mentors:
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This
study focused on the sedge family Cyperaceae, in particular
the genus Rhynchospora, on a controversy among the taxonomic
grouping of one species.
Measurements were taken of the achene dimensions of two species
Rhynchsopora scutellata (considered endemic to South America)
and Rhynchospora indianolensis (considered endemic to Texas
east coast) to determine whether or not they may be the same
species.
Structural measurements of the achene body, tubercle, and
sulcus were compared in this study.
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thumbnails below for larger view |
| Field
Pictures |
Microscopic
Lab Images |
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Bryophytes
Mentors:
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The project was to compare the lamellar characters of A. angustatum
(Brid.) B.S.G (Polytrichaceae) in the Big Thicket National
Preserve, Southeast Texas with previously recorded data in
literature.
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thumbnails below for larger view |
| Field
Pictures |
Microscopic
Lab Images |
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Fish
Mentors:
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This
experiment was designed to gain further knowledge on growth
of the sensory system on certain fish scales. In particular,
the scales housing the Lateral Lines of Cyprinella venusta.
To do this, specific factors were studied.
The first was the maturity of the lateral line system to
see if it changed at all during the fish’s life.
The next factor observed and monitored was the growth of
the scales in which the lateral lines were located.
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thumbnails below for larger view |
| Field
Pictures |
Microscopic
Lab Images |
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Fungi
Mentors:
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Project involved studying the surface morphology of Entolomataceae
family using the Hitachi S-3400N to determine if there were
similarities in size and structure among family.
Specimens used in this research were collected from David
Lewis’ herbarium located at the Big Thicket Field
Research Station.
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| Field
Pictures |
Microscopic
Lab Images |
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Fungi
Mentor: David Lewis
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Project
involved the measurements of spores and the analysis of
spore structures in six genera of mushrooms in the family
Cortinariaceae.
Using the Hitachi TM-1000 and the S-3400N scanning electron
microscopes, this study was done in order to see if there
was enough variation between the size and structure of the
spores for use in identification.
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thumbnails below for larger view |
| Field
Pictures |
Microscopic
Lab Images |
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Reptiles
and Amphibians
Mentors:
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This
project studied habitat preferences of Rana sphenocehphala
in the Big Thicket National Preserve.
Results showed definite ecological tendencies of the frog,
especially a preference for shady areas.
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| Field
Pictures
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Reptiles
and Amphibians
Mentors:
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Nonliving
snake specimens were collected from the roads of the Big
Thicket National Preserve for a comparative analysis of
dentition; Elaphe obsoleta lindheimerii, Crotalus horridus
atricaudatus, Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster, and Agkistrodon
piscivorus leucostoma.
The right lower mandible from each of the four snakes was
removed and observed using the Hitachi S-3400N scanning
electron microscope. Micrographs were used to determine
if any considerable difference in dentition existed between
the terrestrial and aquatic snakes.
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thumbnails below for larger view |
| Field
Pictures |
Microscopic
Lab Images |
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Water
Treatment
Mentors:
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This
research was a comparison of the water quality of the Big
Thicket to that of the Trinity River, with an emphasis on
water hardness.
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| The SEM equipment was not needed
for this project
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Water
Treatment
Mentors:
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This
research was to analyze surface water from North and South
Texas with a focus on two essential elements. The primary
objective was to determine nutrient concentration at sample
locations.
The second objective was to compare results between North
Texas (NTX) and Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) surface
water with water quality standards set by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
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The SEM equipment
was not needed for this project |
| Field
Pictures
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Eastfield
College Cohorts
Dr. Jean Conway - Interim President
Michael Gutierrez - V.P. Teaching
and Learning
Gretchen Riehl - Dean, Science and Physical
Education
Dr. Carl Knight - Principal Investigator and Professor
of Anatomy and Physiology
Melanie Gill-Shaw - CO-Principal Investigator and
Resource and Community Development
John Teel - NSF-STEP Grant Manager
Jeff Hughes - Biology Professor
Jessica Silva - NSF-STEP SEM Lab Coordinator |
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| This program
was funded by grant Award # DUE 0525536, from the National
Science Foundation to Eastfield
College,
one of the seven Dallas County
Community Colleges, located at 3737 Motley Drive, Mesquite,
TX 75150.
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