/news-archive/tag/fourche-creek/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Fri, 24 May 2019 12:56:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/05/24/fiallos-fourche-creek/ Fri, 24 May 2019 12:56:12 +0000 /news/?p=74338 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student studies microplastics in Little Rock wetlands]]> Nearly 73 percent of all water in the Little Rock metropolitan area drains into a watershed located in the Fourche Creek wetlands. Harmful objects are often found within it, including small plastics that often go unnoticed but can have a major impact on the environment. Juliann Fiallos, a junior geology/biology double major from Ansonia, Connecticut, spent several months this spring examining the levels and impact of microplastics in the Fourche Creek wetlands. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that are released into the environment as plastic products slowly begin to break down. 鈥淧lastics are a modern product that take a significantly long time, longer than our own lifetimes, to break down,鈥� Fiallos said. 鈥淓ven though microplastics are so small, we鈥檝e had plastics for long enough now that it begins to build up. We want to know how much we鈥檙e dealing with now.鈥� During her research, Fiallos collected monthly samples of water and sediment from the wetlands to gain a better understanding of the overall water quality as well as the amount of microplastics present in both. As microplastics are increasingly used in everyday products, it鈥檚 expected that they will be found in increased levels in the wetlands. Because they break down so slowly, buildup occurs, which in turn can cause a myriad of issues for the environment as well as human health, Fiallos said. Dr. Laura Ruhl, associate professor in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Department of Earth Sciences, served as the faculty mentor for Fiallos, who gained invaluable field research experience. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned that you definitely want to question,鈥� Fiallos said. 鈥淭he first part of finding an answer is knowing that you鈥檙e asking the right questions. You might be wrong and that鈥檚 okay. Our question in this case is whether these microplastics are being filtered through the wetlands, or if they鈥檙e staying and building up in them.鈥� Aside from analyzing the level of plastics in the wetlands, Fiallos also studied other environmental forces. In particular, she looked at how storm systems affect water flow and trash build-up. Fiallos presented her research at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Expo on April 18, where she placed first in the physical science category. She offers the following advice for students who also want to become involved in the research process. 鈥淒on鈥檛 ever doubt yourself,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y parents never even graduated high school, and college seemed impossible to me for a long time. You know so much more than you think you know.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2018/05/22/sustainability-grant-will-lead-new-greenhouse-campus-garden-fresh-food-trojan-food-pantry/ Tue, 22 May 2018 13:56:51 +0000 /news/?p=70639 ... Sustainability grant will lead to new greenhouse for Campus Garden, more fresh food for Trojan Food Pantry]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sustainability Committee has awarded a $2,500 grant that will provide more growing opportunities for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Campus Garden as well as an increase in fresh produce for the Trojan Food Pantry.聽 Dr. Stephen Grace, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Michael DeAngelis, associate professor of Earth Sciences, serve as faculty advisors of the Campus Garden Alliance, which began a partnership in 2016 to provide fresh produce for the Trojan Food Pantry. The Trojan Food Pantry typically relies on donations of nonperishable food, but staff members are eager to provide healthier options for people who use the food pantry. The Campus Garden Alliance provides the food pantry with produce such as beets, cauliflower, cabbage, greens, tomatoes, peas, peppers, herbs, squash, and onions. 鈥淲e intend to install a hoop-style, cold frame greenhouse at the Campus Garden to expand growing capacity and enable year-round vegetable production,鈥� Grace said. 鈥�We feel that a greenhouse will greatly enhance the mission and goals of the Campus Garden by providing much needed infrastructure. It will also be used to leverage further improvements at the Campus Garden with the long-term goal of becoming an economically viable center for urban agriculture.鈥� The Sustainability Committee also awarded two additional $2,500 grants to Dr. John Czarnecki, adjunct professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, and Dr. Ashokkumar Sharma, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology. Czarnecki will develop trash barriers for the city鈥檚 storm drains in order to reduce the amount of trash that winds up in Fourche Creek. 鈥淢uch of the floatable trash entering curbside storm drains in Little Rock ultimately ends up in Fourche Creek, home to 25 percent of all fish species in Arkansas,鈥� Czarnecki said. 鈥淭he city of Little Rock includes 1,800 acres of bottomland hardwood forests within the Fourche Creek bottoms area. Unfortunately, this area receives regular inputs of floatable trash during flood events. This trash negatively impacts sustainable water quality, ecosystems, and recreation in Fourche Creek bottoms.鈥� The storm drains have uncovered openings ranging from 5-12 inches in height and 6-12 feet in length, which can allow trash up to the size of a basketball to enter. Commercially made storm drain trash barriers are available, but Czarnecki notes that these cost roughly $1,000 each, making them an impractical option for Little Rock. With the help of construction management and Earth Sciences students, Czarnecki will design, build, and implement cost-effective barriers using readily available materials. Once he receives permission from the City of Little Rock鈥檚 Department of Public Works, Czarnecki and his students will test the barriers on storm drains on the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock campus and monitor their progress. 鈥淚 greatly enjoy building things and finding solutions that impact society,鈥� Czarnecki said. 鈥淔ourche Creek is a spectacularly beautiful natural resource right in the city limits of Little Rock that deserves respect and protection. This project will help attain that goal.鈥� Sharma will use his grant, 鈥淪ustainable Production of Renewable Fuels,鈥� to fund a research-based project to develop a novel thermochemical process to convert the university鈥檚 dry solid waste (papers, cardboard, and plastics) to produce a renewable fuel that can be utilized for generation of power and heat energy. 鈥淭his research will provide an improved alternative to utilize wastes of public institutions, strengthening the energy independence and economy of the nation,鈥� Sharma said. 鈥淭his project will demonstrate how it is possible to utilize waste instead of recycling to generate energy.鈥� He also plans to develop a course for engineering and engineering technology students with an emphasis on sustainability in energy conservation and efficiency. The grant money will be used to construct the reactor system, purchase materials, and fund student travel to present the research at a scientific conference. In the upper right photo,聽Dr. Stephen Grace works in the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Campus Garden. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Communications.]]>