Upcoming Events

We are pleased to be hosting the ECo seminar speaker this week Dr. Leroy Walston from Argonne National Laboratory who will be sharing his work on avian activity in solar facilities. We will meet this Friday December 6th in Holdsworth 105 at 12:20 pm (or here is the zoom link for those who need to join remotely). 

Is Solar Energy for the Birds? Overview of a Multi-Regional Study on Avian-Solar Interactions
Presenter: Lee Walston and Yuki Hamada (Argonne National Laboratory)

Abstract:
With the unprecedented pace of ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation, there
are increasing needs to improve the sustainability of this form of renewable energy
development. One measure of the PV solar energy’s sustainability can be understood through
its impacts on biodiversity. For example, insufficient understanding of interactions between PV
solar energy facilities and bird populations in the U.S. can lead to unsubstantiated conclusions
about the impacts of PV solar developments on bird populations. With funding from the U.S.
Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory are leading an avian-PV-solar interactions
study across the U.S. to better understand geographic patterns of avian mortality, the
underlying causal mechanisms of mortality, bird behavior and site utilization, and avian
community composition within PV solar facilities. The project employs multiple data
streams—including traditional systematic carcass searches, continuous video surveillance, and
passive wildlife camera and acoustic monitoring—and leverages artificial intelligence to
process the large volume of data. This novel combination of data and analytics will allow us to
weigh several impact types of PV solar development on bird populations, including potential
benefits and adverse effects. Results of the project can be used by multiple stakeholders to
make more informed decisions on the regional permitting, siting, and design of PV solar
installations.

Thesis Defense

Come join us for good food and conversation!

Elizabeth Clark, a Master’s candidate in Environmental Conservation, will defend her thesis titled, "Developing eDNA tools for assessing sea turtle habitat use in Massachusetts coastal waters", on Wed Dec 11^th, 2024 at 10:00 AM in room 105, Holdsworth Hall and via Zoom (link will follow).

Exam committee members are Dr. Lisa Komoroske (Chair) and Dr. Meg MacLean (Member).

Courses taken to satisfy the degree requirements by Elizabeth Clark:

ECO 601 Research Concepts

ECO 602 Analysis of Environmental Data

ECO 636 Applied Ecological Statistics

ECO 634 Analysis of Environ Data LAB

ECO 691A S-Current Res in Environ Consv

FOOD-SCI 797A ST-Genomic Approaches/FoodSci

ECO 631 Public Engagement & Comm

ECO 696 Independent Study (ecological and conservation applications of eDNA)

ECO 699 Masters Thesis

Poster presentations from GIS students will occupy the Design Building Atrium

Presentations from ECO 601-Research Concepts will take place in Holdsworth 105

We are excited to invite you to Aly Putnam's PhD defense seminar, entitled "Species responses to climate change in coastal ecosystems: biodiversity, adaptation, and the role of native and introduced species" to be held on Friday, December 13th, 2024 at 1:00 PM in Holdsworth Hall room 105, and via Zoom link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/91650856890

Aly's committee members are Dr. Michelle Staudinger (Chair), Bethany Bradley,  Paulette Peckol, David Smith, and Jim Carlton.

Please note that due to Aly's immunocompromised health status that we ask that you only attend her defense in person if you are in good health; masks are encouraged for all. Otherwise we are excited to have you join online. A celebration will follow Aly's defense in Holdsworth 105 just after the closed door committee session.

The Building and Construction Technology program and our student groups are organizing this career fair for internships and jobs in construction, project management, green building, materials, building systems, and related fields.