KU doctoral student teaches ecology to Kansas 3rd grade students through the MAPS KEES Program

Laura teaches students about soils

   Laura Jimenez-Jimenez understands the benefits of  STEM outreach, so when she was asked to participate in the Kansas Ecology for Elementary Students (KEES) program, she said "I got very excited and I happily joined the team. Particularly after finding out that I could teach in both Spanish and English at a dual-language school.” The KEES program is a part of the workforce development and education outreach initiatives included in the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS). Dr.  Peggy Schultz, Associate Specialist in the Environmental Studies Program within the Kansas Biological Survey at the University of Kansas (KU) is the KEES program director. During the academic school year, the KEES program travels to elementary schools in Lawrence and Topeka, KS to provide 3rd-grade students with opportunities to conduct small group hands-on experiments in order to learn about Kansas ecology. One of the participating schools located in Topeka is the Scott Dual Language Magnet Elementary School, where they teach all of their science curricula in Spanish.
   Being bilingual and having studied ecology, biology, and statistics in her master's and doctoral programs, volunteering to teach Kansas ecology in Spanish was a natural fit for Laura. As a KEES instructor, she has “learned different strategies for teaching in elementary schools, from playing games to doing fun experiments in the classroom.” She also mentioned she enjoys contributing to the development of both the Spanish and English KEES curriculum. Her favorite part of this outreach experience is when she hears “comments from our students after they participate in a lesson. Most of them are really excited to participate and enjoy learning with us so much that they can hardly wait for our next visit.”

Laura teaches trophic levels as she gently
supports a King Snake 

   Laura's doctoral research uses mathematical models to study a wide range of problems in biology and ecology. She first became interested in combining mathematics with the natural sciences when she took a statistical ecology course in her master’s program. Laura explained, “having the opportunity to observe science through mathematics has been a beautiful experience. It has stimulated my creativity and helped to enhance my analytical thinking skills. Through statistics, I am able to use mathematical models to better understand random phenomena and analyze data. Moreover, working with ecologists has made me realize that I can contribute to solving problems that will have a positive impact on society.” Specifically, her area of interest focuses on “estimating the fundamental niches of species from occurrence and physiological data.” Laura described her research as follows, “The fundamental niche of a species is defined as the set of environmental combinations the studied species needs to maintain populations; leading, at the same time, to the survival of the species. The concept of the ecological niche is central to ecological biogeography, which focuses on spatial patterns of ecological communities called species distributions. Estimating the fundamental niche of a species is assumed to require physiological experiments, which require bringing specimens to the lab and placing them in chambers where environmental conditions are fully controlled. However, these experiments are not viable for all the species. The kind of data that is widely available is occurrence points, known to represent a subset of the fundamental niche. Our work focuses on finding an approximation to the fundamental niche from occurrences and any information related to physiological data. We do this by providing a statistical model for estimating the parameters that represent a fundamental niche. So far, we created some examples of virtual species for which the resulting estimates were compared to its theoretical fundamental niche with the purpose of evaluating our proposed model. The analysis of data from virtual species helped us describe conditions that may produce better estimates for the fundamental niche in real cases. Therefore, we are working on a second version of the model that takes into account what we learned from previous analyses.” Currently, Laura is a fifth-year Ph.D. student pursuing a doctoral degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Her adviser is Dr. Jorge Soberón, a University Distinguished Professor of the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum.

Laura Jimenez-Jimenez
hosting a LAGO recruitment table

     Originally, Laura is from the state of Puebla in Mexico where she lived for fifteen years. Then, she and her family moved to the state of Guanajuato, Mexico where she went to college. While living in Mexico, Laura earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the Department of Mathematics (DEMAT) at the University of Guanajuato and a master’s degree in Probability and Statistics from the Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT). She also received two scholarships from the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT). The first scholarship fully funded her master’s program, and the second has funded four years of her doctoral studies. During both her undergraduate and the master’s programs, she was an instructor for Matemorfosis, a group dedicated to the dissemination of science at the Mathematics Research Center (CIMAT). As an instructor, she specialized in teaching geometry with origami. By using origami, Laura could assemble several pieces of paper to build various 3D shapes which created a hand-on visual display to explore geometry concepts such as symmetry, volume, and regular polygons. Though she has used origami as a teaching tool, Laura added “Origami is one of my hobbies and it helps me relieve stress. In addition, I occasionally give origami workshops and talks as well.” While studying for her Ph.D. at KU, Laura has volunteered with the KEES program for 3 years, joined the KU Tango Club, and served as both the vice president and the president of the KU Latin American Graduate Organization (LAGO). This fall, Laura became a Graduate Teaching Assistant for an introductory statistics class for biology students, and stated, “I am very excited about having the opportunity to teach at KU.”
     After Laura completes her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, she would like to find a postdoc position that also provides her with an opportunity to continue her research.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KEES Program is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

Geography and Atmospheric Science Doctoral Student Mentors HERS Students

 

Katie Grote

     Katie Grote thoroughly enjoyed her role as a 2018 and 2019 Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute mentor. She views the HERS program as "a wonderful opportunity for undergraduate Indigenous students because it provides an underrepresented population a chance to strengthen their passion for research while also allowing them the prospect of helping their communities." The HERS Institute is a workforce development and education initiative supported by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS) and is directed by Dr. Jay Johnson, Professor and Associate Chair of Geography & Atmospheric Science, the Director of The Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology (C-FIRST) at the University of Kansas (KU), and member of the MAPS workforce development and education team. The institute is an 8-week paid summer internship program where undergraduate student interns spend 6 weeks on the Haskell Indian Nations University campus during June and July. As part of the program, students learn about climate change and develop individual research projects.

Katie assists a HERS student with her research

     Katie's responsibilities as a HERS mentor were to “aid the interns in their research projects. This included brainstorming topics, helping them find scholarly articles, making sure that their research goals were realistic and manageable, helping with poster design, giving advice about graduate school, and providing any other support they may need.” She said her favorite part of the experience was working with the students on their projects and learning "so much about different cultures and the issues that many communities face." Plus, she added, "I was repeatedly inspired by their passion to do good.”
     Currently, Katie is a first-year doctoral student in Geography and Atmospheric Science at KU, and Dr. Johnson is her adviser. When asked why she was interested in geography, she explained “Contrary to what most people believe, geography is about more than memorizing capitals. Cultural geography combines history, language, religion, and environment of cultures, although it is ultimately rooted in place.” She added, “I became interested in geography because it allowed me to explore new worlds and celebrate diversity.”
     Katie is from Aberdeen, South Dakota, and after graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2016 from Northern State University (NSU) in Aberdeen with a double major in history and English as well as minors in geography and professional writing, she decided to pursue a master’s degree in Geography and Atmospheric Science at KU. Her master's thesis was titled Pipelines, Protectors, and a Sense of Place: Media Representations of the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest. Katie described her master's research as follows, “I conducted a content and textual analysis of news reports of the recent Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota.” As for her doctoral research, she continued, “I am focusing on environmental regulation and policy in the United States and how it considers Indigenous populations as well as how environmental impact assessments for development projects consider, include, and impact Indigenous populations in the United States. Through comparative case studies, I will identify patterns of success and inadequacy in environmental assessments regarding Indigenous populations. I aim to provide preliminary guidance for more adequate representation and a greater understanding of Indigenous cultures and world views by incorporating Indigenous methodologies.”
    As an undergraduate at NSU, Katie was very involved with the honors program and completed an honors thesis. She also had the opportunity to attend the 2015 National Collegiate Honors Conference. In addition, Katie worked as a tutor, a library reference assistant and was the editor of the university news publication, The Exponent. During her senior year, she received the NSU Student Employee of the Year award. As a graduate student at KU, she has worked as a teaching assistant for introductory physical, world regional, and human geography courses. Katie is also involved with GIS Day at KU and is a member of the Geography and Atmospheric Science (G/AS) Graduate Student Organization. Furthermore, the Geography and Atmospheric Science faculty awarded her a Graduate Fellowship for the 2019-2020 academic year. Katie will continue working for the HERS program in the summer of 2020 as the HERS Curriculum Coordinator.
      When asked about her future plans, Katie said, “After I receive my doctorate, I plan to pursue a career in academia, so I can continue my research and teach at the collegiate level. I also hope to work with Indigenous students in support of their educational, professional, and personal goals.”

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the HERS Institute is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

HERS Student Explores Cultural Losses Imposed by Ghost Forests

 

Rae Billiot-Bruleigh in Colorado during a HERS field trip

      Following her college graduation, Rachel (Rae) Billiot-Bruleigh explored summer research opportunities in ecological restoration and Indigenous health. More specifically, her interests focused on wetlands, ethnography, cultural inventories, and mapping kinship patterns. She found that the 2019 Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute, provided the perfect opportunity for her to combine these interests into a unique research experience.
     The HERS Institute is an 8-week paid summer internship program where students spend six weeks on the Haskell Indian Nations University campus learning about climate change and developing individual research projects. The HERS Institute is one of the many workforce development and education initiatives supported by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS). Dr. Jay Johnson, Professor and Associate Chair of Geography & Atmospheric Science, the Director of The Center for Indigenous Research, Science, and Technology (C-FIRST) at the University of Kansas (KU), and member of the MAPS workforce development and education team supervises the program.
     Being a native Louisianan with a love for the land, the environment, and wildlife, Rae decided to research the changing habitats of the freshwater Live Oak forests in Southeast Louisiana and investigate how those changes impact their surrounding Indigenous communities. She titled her project, Lost Among the Skeletons: Mapping the Potential for Live Oak Ghost Forests in Southeast Louisiana & Exploring Cultural Losses. Rae explained her research as follows: “'Ghost Forests' describe stands of dead trees left behind after saltwater invades freshwater forests. The freshwater Live Oak forests in Southeast Louisiana are becoming largely fragmented and considered imperiled environments because of anthropogenic developments that prompt the influx of saltwater. Human activities such as canal dredging or natural events such as storm flooding are a few examples of what might cause the freshwater ecosystem to change and the native plants to migrate. Eventually, the saltwater invasion leaves behind ghosts forests of dead skeleton trees. Sadly, some of the Live Oaks impacted are over a hundred years old.
     When Live Oak forests are healthy, they provide many important biocultural resources and protections for their surrounding Indigenous communities. These healthy Live Oak ecosystems produce food and medicinal plants; serve as wildlife refuges for the Louisiana Black Bear, the Bald Eagle, and wetland migratory birds; are seen as guardians for sacred burial grounds; and provide shelter against intense heat, hurricane winds, and storm surges. When saltwater floods the freshwater forests, these biocultural resources and protections are at risk. I wanted to explore the potential biocultural losses Indigenous communities in Southeast Louisiana face as they experience the changing freshwater habitats and disappearing Live Oak forests. To do this, I utilized previous studies on remnant Live Oak forests, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data, map comparisons using overlay analysis, and transcripts from informal interviews with tribal community members. GIS provided imaging and visual analysis of the forests' decline. The map comparisons of canals, pipelines, oil and gas fields, and land loss due to erosion highlighted the risk factors in the area. Datasets and mapping materials came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ArcGIS, National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) Public Viewer, and Google Earth. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) sources, such as articles featuring ethnobotanical plants or informal interviews with local members of the United Houma Nation were used to explain the connection between the Live Oak forests and the Indigenous culture as well as to identify ecological/cultural losses associated with the saltwater conversion.” Rae concluded, “All of the remnant Live Oak forests examined in my research are at risk of becoming ghost forests due to saltwater intrusion. With the increased rates of land loss and the abandonment of impacted areas due to the cost of protection efforts, the Live Oak forests will die, become skeletal remains in brackish marshes, and eventually erode into open waters." She added, "Live Oaks are elders that teach us lessons about community, support, change, and generosity. In return, we need to protect them and the natural communities they form."  Rae presented her research at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) poster session in Boulder, Colorado in July.

Rae's poster presentation

    Throughout the HERS program, Rae was advised by her research mentor James Fischer, a Ph.D. student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at KU. Her favorite parts of the HERS experience included the fieldwork training at UCAR, the weekend spent at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in the Flint Hills of Kansas, visiting the wetland lab at the Haskell-Baker Wetlands, and working alongside other Indigenous students passionate about environmental issues. As for what she learned from the HERS experience, she said, "I learned about Hydrology and Water Quality Testing, Wind Speed Recording, using compasses with GIS data, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), map overlay analysis, the differences in wetland species, how to network, and how to prepare for graduate school." Rae added, "I personally learned that our wetlands in Southeast Louisiana are different from the Lawrence/Haskell wetlands, and these differences were greater than I thought they’d be. One big example I noticed, is that in Louisiana we have forested wetlands with trees like the Live Oak, Bald Cypress and Water Tupelo that can live in standing water and require a boat to maneuver through them. The Lawrence/Haskell wetlands definitely do not."
     Rae is from Gretna, Louisiana and is a member of the United Houma Nation with shared Chitimacha heritage. She graduated in the spring of 2019 from the University of New Orleans (UNO) with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) in Cultural & Environmental Studies. While attending UNO, Rae worked as a research assistant with the UNO Center for Hazards Assessment, Response & Technology (CHART) and participated in a project that integrated scientific knowledge with Traditional Ecological Knowledge provided by United Houma Nation tribal members. She said, "This integrated scientific knowledge is used to support the Indigenous community response to natural and technological disasters and climate change." In 2018 she won the UNO Outstanding Promising Scholar award and completed an internship with the South Central Climate Adaptation Center. Rae was also involved with the National Student Exchange program and, while in O’ahu for the school semester, volunteered at the Hawaii Nature Center assisting with the removal of invasive plant species from local wetlands." She gained additional research experience when she participated in the Alaska Indigenous Research Program on Promoting Resilience, Health, and Wellness in Health Research Fields in Anchorage, Alaska. As for her other extracurricular activities, Rae served as a camp assistant for the Lower Coast Native American Society teaching Southeastern Native American history, storytelling, traditional games, and cultural dances to children, and she volunteered as an equine therapy side walker at the Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center assisting children with disabilities as they participated in therapeutic horseback riding.
     As for Rae’s future plans, she said, “Currently, I’m exploring more educational opportunities in ecological restoration and Indigenous health. My evolving research interests include concepts surrounding the One Health Initiative in which the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment are interconnected with cultural knowledge and environmental conservation." She added, "I look forward to opportunities where I can work hands-on with these topics and can build more positive relationships between land, people, and wildlife. She continued, “Future short term goals include working with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and AmeriCorps, and long term goals include pursuing careers in forest and wetland conservation, Indigenous farming and agriculture, and/or equine-assisted therapy.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the  HERS Institute is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

Kansas NSF EPSCoR is currently developing a New Web Site

....  In the meantime, please call or email us if you have questions or need updated information.

nsfepscor@ku.edu

785-864-3096

MAPS REU Student Studies the Effectiveness of Disease Control Measures in Pathosystems

   

Martin presenting his research at the
2019 KU Undergraduate Research Poster Session in July

    Aiming to apply his mathematical skills to a science-related research project, Martin Pollack found an opportunity to study computational biology and biological modeling through a 2019 MAPS Summer Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (REU) at the University of Kansas (KU). The KU MAPS REU program is just one of the many educational outreach initiatives outlined in the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS). Martin's REU mentor was Dr. Folashade Agusto, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at KU and MAPS Synthesis Team Leader.

Martin working with Dr. Agusto

     Math has always been easy for Martin, so he chose the MAPS research experience because "I wanted to use my problem solving and quantitative skills in an applied sense, rather than just writing proofs all day for theoretical math sub-disciplines." He added, "I was amazed by the plethora of ways math can be used in biology, which also happens to be my second favorite discipline.” The MAPS REU project he selected matched his research goals perfectly. 
    The title of Martin's study is Effectiveness of Disease Control Measures in Pathosystems with Co-Infection and Vector Preference. He said, “I chose to model plant diseases because understanding how to control them is extremely significant for agriculture and for the conservation of biodiversity." He described his research as follows: "Most plant-vector-virus diseases found in nature are caused by the presence and interaction of multiple viruses in organisms. This interaction is called co-infection. The three main types of co-infection are helper-dependence, cross-protection, and synergism. Organisms such as aphids or other insects are called Vectors. Vectors can carry the diseases in these pathosystems, and they tend to prefer certain categories of host plants over others. In this study, we attempted to make a general compartmental disease model that incorporated co-infection, vector preference, and the transmission of disease to hosts. I tested three common disease control strategies that are utilized in agriculture: 1. increasing the planting of healthy plant hosts; 2. roguing (removal of diseased plant hosts); and 3. the use of pesticides. I hypothesized that using pesticides would be the most effective control measure, with the other two measures being less effective. I also did not think there would be significant differences when testing different types of co-infection or vector preference. I found that when Vectors preferred healthy hosts and all types of co-infection were considered, none of the control measures fully eliminated the disease. When Vectors did not prefer healthy hosts, applying pesticides was the most effective control. The control strategy of increasing the planting of healthy hosts was consistent across all considerations but rarely lowered disease incidence significantly. This was not expected. However, planting hosts with cross-protection present did lower disease occurrence. Roguing, on the other hand, completely eliminated the disease with the presence of helper-dependence and cross-protection, but was largely ineffective against pathosystems with synergism. Rouging’s effectiveness was highly variable depending on the type of co-infection present in the system, which was not expected. Overall, the use of pesticides tended to be the most effective control strategy for each situation.” Even though Martin's model found pesticides to be the most effective control measure, he warned, "applying this measure could prove dangerous and possibly lead to pesticide resistance." 

Martin's poster illustrating his methods and results

     When asked what he learned from his summer research experience, Martin said “I learned how to plan a research project, how to encapsulate my project into a research question, and how to decide what techniques and methods to use to answer it. I also learned how non-linear the scientific process is and found it to be more circular. I was always tweaking my research question or writing new computer code each time I got new results.” He went on to add, “My favorite part of my REU experience was being able to fully commit my focus to a single project. Usually, I am busy taking multiple classes and my extracurricular activities occupy any free time. This summer, I was able to learn a lot about a very specific field and learn how to carry out a research project from start to finish.”     
     Martin is from the San Francisco Bay Area and is currently a sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA. He is pursuing a double major in Mathematics and German. During the academic year, Martin is a calculus tutor for his college, and he serves as a German Lab Instructor teaching vocabulary, grammar, and culture to students enrolled in the Intermediate German course. Being a serious musician, Martin plays the violin, viola, and piano and is also a member of a String Quartet. When asked about his hobbies, Martin responded, “My biggest hobby is soccer, and I am a 'regular' in my college’s club soccer scene. I can also be found watching international soccer on my phone regularly.”  
     After earning his bachelor’s degree, Martin plans to attend graduate school and study “a quantitative discipline that utilizes my math skills in applied ways.” Once he completes his education, he will pursue a career as “a data scientist, using numbers and data to learn more about the world” around him.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for the KU MAPS Summer REU is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

Kansas NSF EPSCoR New Funding Opportunity for Early Career Faculty

     Kansas NSF EPSCoR is announcing a new funding opportunity for First Awards in the area of microbiome research. The First Award program helps early-career faculty become competitive for funding from the research directorates at the National Science Foundation by 1) encouraging early-career faculty to submit proposals to the NSF (or other federal funding agency) as soon as possible after their first faculty appointment, and 2) by accelerating the pace of their research and the quality of their subsequent proposals.

    Eligible to apply is any individual tenure track faculty member who is currently untenured
at the assistant professor rank at Kansas State University, University of Kansas, Wichita
State University, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State
University or Washburn University and who:

• is within the first three years of his/her faculty appointment,1
• has not previously received a First Award or similar funding from another EPSCoR or EPSCoR‐like (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence, COBRE) program in Kansas, and is not currently nor has previously been a lead Principal Investigator of a research grant funded by a federal agency.

First Awards are intended to be single‐investigator awards to support the PI’s research program at their institution.

Download the Request for Proposal Information at: 

2019 First Awards in Microbiome Research

Submission Deadlines:

• White Papers due by 5:00 pm Wednesday, 9/25/2019

Download the First Award

Letter of Intent Information Form 

at LOI Form

• Final Proposals are due by 5:00 pm Monday, 11/25/2019

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for First Awards is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.

KS-LSAMP Student Studies Groundwater Discharge across Kansas

Gonzalo Alcantar

    An intro-geology class “as well as the instructor’s enthusiasm for teaching the subject” led to Gonzalo Alcantar’s curiosity for “agriculture/farming and aquaponics/vertical farming.” Looking for an opportunity to do further research on the subject, the 2019 Pathways to STEM: Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (KS-LSAMP) program at Kanas State University (KSU) presented a great opportunity to explore his interests. The KS-LSAMP program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF LSAMP) and "promotes recruitment and retention programs throughout Kansas in support of increasing the success of underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. "The summer portion of KS-LSAMP is called Research Immersion: Pathways to STEM (RiPS) and is an 8-week summer research program that "aims to introduce students to the process of research and assist in their academic and professional success." Gonzalo was one of three students in the KS-LSAMP program sponsored by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas (MAPS). His mentor was Dr. Matthew Kirk, Associate Professor of Geology at Kansas State University (KSU) and MAPS Soils Team leader.

Gonzalo Alcantar working in the Kirk Lab
Photo provided by Matt Kirk

     The title of Gonzalo’s research project is Variation in contribution of groundwater discharge to streams across the Kansas precipitation gradient. He said that he picked this particular topic because “I am interested in everything that goes into agriculture/farming and aquaponics/vertical farming, hence the water research.” Gonzalo explained his project as follows “Groundwater discharge affects the coupling between terrestrial and aquatic habitats and ultimately the biogeochemistry and water quality of streams. To better understand the contribution of groundwater discharge to streams in Kansas, this project tests the following hypotheses: (1) the proportion of groundwater discharge in streamflow decreases with distance east across the Kansas precipitation gradient and (2) the proportion of discharge has increased over the past 60 years. To test these hypotheses, we used the U.S. Geological Survey program PART to carry out hydrograph separation analysis on groundwater discharge data from seven gage stations located across the Kansas precipitation gradient. Our analysis uses stream baseflow as an estimate of groundwater discharge. We also examined precipitation data collected at Hays, Salina, and Topeka, Kansas. The results indicated that the amount of groundwater discharge and runoff both increase eastward across the precipitation gradient but the increase is greater for runoff. Therefore, the proportion of groundwater discharge in streamflow decreases slightly across the precipitation gradient. Over the past 60 years, the proportion of groundwater discharge in streamflow has increased in western Kansas but remained fairly stable in eastern Kansas. Potential reasons for the change in the contribution of groundwater discharge in western Kansas over time include changes in the rate of precipitation and land management changes. The average annual precipitation in western and eastern Kansas has remained largely stable suggesting land management changes could be responsible for variation in the proportion of groundwater discharge over time in western Kansas. These findings suggest that the potential influence of groundwater discharge on stream habitats is greatest in western Kansas. Future research will evaluate the biogeochemical impact of spatial and temporal variation in groundwater discharge in Kansas.” Gonzalo presented his research at the RiPS Summer Program Final Poster Session on July 24, 2019.

Gonzalo Alcantar presenting his research at
the RiPs Summer Program Final
Poster Session

     When asked what his favorite part of his KS-LSAMP experience was, Gonzalo responded, “My favorite part of LSAMP was being able to get some research experience as well as gain better connections with a K-State faculty member.” He continued, “I learned an abundant amount of information about not only my research but also other graduate students’ research in which I was able to help with over the summer. I learned how to work in a lab environment and how to better communicate with my mentor as well as understand my responsibilities and role in a lab.”
     Gonzalo is from Garden City KS and is currently a sophomore at KSU studying Industrial Engineering. He is involved with the Society of Hispanic Engineers (SHPE), the Hispanic and Latino Organization (HALO), and the Multicultural Business Student Association (MBSA) on-campus student organizations. In addition, he is a Teaching Assistant (TA) for Dr. Bailey Sullivan, a Residential Learning Assistant for a Cat Community, a Building Operations Assistant for the K-State Student Union and a Berney Family Welcome Center Ambassador. As for his future plans, Gonzalo wants to pursue a master’s degree in industrial engineering. But for now, he hopes to work closely with his professors during his sophomore year.

Workforce Development, Education and Outreach funding for KS-LAMP is provided by the Kansas NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award OIA-1656006 titled: Microbiomes of Aquatic, Plant, and Soil Systems across Kansas. The grant's workforce development and educational objectives are designed to enhance STEM education in Kansas by supporting activities that will lead to an expanded STEM workforce or prepare a new generation for STEM careers in the areas of aquatic, plant and soil microbiome environments and ecological systems.