Outreach

Community outreach is the greatest way for community members, volunteers, students, and field professionals to share ideas and scientific concepts. Here we will share links to updated conference schedules, educational plans, and community outreach events. Please be sure to subscribe to "stay in the loop" with all of our newest developments and community outreach of science. As always, ideas and questions are certainly welcome.

APRIL 2020: A novel approach for characterizing the ultra-micro size-fraction
Virtually presenting their work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxviille's 2020 EUReKA exhibition of Undergraduate Research, undergraduate students Abdullah Salim, Priscilla Pineda, and Isabella Alamilla presented before a host of judges. these students worked with Ph.D. student Andrew Putt to identify and quantify the phenotypic response of small (<0.2µm) stream bacteria able to degrade the pharmaceutical compound cyclodextrin.
MAY 2019: Clemson University Hydrogeology Field Camp
College students in geology degree programs in the summer of 2019 visited the University of Tennessee hydro field site in Knoxville, TN. Masters student Leah Wenhold and myself led field exercises including pump and slug tests.
APRIL 2019: Taste of Science Knoxville
In the spring of 2019, I shared information about my work regarding the research being conducted on small bacteria (ultramicrobacteria) in contaminated aquifers.
APRIL 2019: What Microbes are in Recreational and Urban Park Streams in Knoxville?
Presenting his research at the EUReKA exhibition of Undergraduate Research, Thomas Geissberger an undergraduate student working with Ph.D. students Andrew Putt (myself) and Sa'ad Abd Ar Rafie presented his work studying urban streams across Knox county, Tennessee.
APRIL 2019: Ultramicrobacteria Genome Database Project
Presenting their work at the EUReKA exhibition of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tien Tran and Abdullah Salim studied literature of the 0.1µm metagenomes. The students developed a publicly accessible database with a mapping tool, and functionality to perform protein studies across environments.
MARCH 2019: Cement Canoe Contest
March 30, 2019: The University of Tennessee hosted 23 undergraduate canoe teams from across the South East. Undergraduate teams have been working for months to engineer concrete canoes for this American Society of Civil Engineers Cement Canoe Contest
JUNE 2016: Coal Mine Tailing Remediation
As a part of the Clearfield and Indiana County Remediation project in-which coal tailings piles like these are being processed to reclaim usable coal. We supported a local chapter of Trout Unlimited which has been working hard to improve the local water quality bring remediation efforts to the forefront. Trout Unlimited has achieved this goal through a variety of remediation designs and treatments, as well as the support of a variety of community groups and engineers.
JUNE 2016: Geosciences Field Camp
Working hand in hand with the Mansfield University Institute of Science and the Environment to coordinate a weeklong summer camp for about 20 high-school age students.
APRIL 2016: IDEAS day
Volunteered at the Mansfield University IDEAS day. A single day-long event designed to give elementary age students a direct exposure to science, technology and mathematics. Dr. Jeanne Kagle and myself led a lab where students could extract DNA from their own cheek skin cells.
APRIL 2016: Bioreactor Education
A service day spent helping 5th graders learn about the components of bioreactors and how microbes digest nutrients.
JULY 2015: Testing Mine Drainage Treatments
The Broadtop Township in South Central PA has taken on treating the AMD that surrounds their homes as township projects. Using the same trucks that plow snow and spread salt, all summer these trucks are out designing, clearing and mitigating these abandoned mine discharges.
MAY 2015: Macroinvertebrate Training
Public School educators grades 6-12 converged on Mansfield for a day-long training on Macroinvertebrate identification and enumeration for pollution sensitive taxa.
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JUNE 2016: Coal Mine Tailing Remediation

As a part of the Clearfield and Indiana County Remediation project in-which coal tailings piles like these are being processed to reclaim usable coal. We supported a local chapter of Trout Unlimited which has been working hard to improve the local water quality bring remediation efforts to the forefront. Trout Unlimited has achieved this goal through a variety of remediation designs and treatments, as well as the support of a variety of community groups and engineers.

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