Occurrence and Biogeochemical Factors Controlling Toxicity and Transport of Metal & Organic Contaminents in the Casper Kill Watershed, Dutchess County, NY

9424059沃克瓦萨学院REU现场将对纽约州波基普西的一个小型城市化分水岭的污染物分布、迁移和毒性效应进行多学科的生物地球化学调查。一旦评估了污染物的大小和空间分布，将对毒性、污染物迁移和形态形成进行具体调查，最终目标是建立流域内污染物去向和影响的预测模型。毒性实验将在受控的台式环境中进行，并对元素水平和形态进行现场监测。迁移研究将包括详细的实地调查元素分布的空间关系，确定水系沉积物和水柱中重要的固体和胶体相，以及对元素在相之间的分配进行实验室研究。该项目将在两年内聘用14名本科生和6名高中教师。参与将帮助学生和教师认识到跨学科方法研究环境问题的重要性，以及“团队努力”在形成对问题的更全面理解方面的优势。

9424059 Walker The Vassar College REU site will undertake a multidisciplinary biogeochemical investigation of contaminant distribution, transport and toxic effects in a small urbanized watershed in Poughkeepsie, NY. Once the magnitude and spatial distribution of contamination has been assessed, specific investigations of toxicity, contaminant transport and speciation will be undertaken with the ultimate goal of creating predictive models of the fate and effects of contaminants in the watershed. Toxicity experiments will be performed in controlled, benchtop settings with in situ monitoring of element levels and speciation. Transport studies will include detailed field investigations of the spatial relationships of element distributions, identification of important solid and colloidal phases in both stream sediment and water column, and laboratory studies of element partitioning between phases. The project will engage fourteen undergraduates and six high school teachers over two years. Participation will help both students and teachers realize the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of environmental questions, and the advantages of a "team effort" in formulating a more complete understanding of the problem.