Digital Spark Presentation: Silverback Investment Partners

In this presentation, Julia McCann, Ursinus College Class of 2025, discusses her summer experience working with Silverback Investment Partners and their revitalization project for Collegeville, Pennsylvania

Bears & Bats: Effects of Environmental Factors on Ursinus Campus Bat Biodiversity

With a rapidly advancing urban environment, it is important to minimize human impact on neighboring wild plants and animals. At Ursinus College, we value the preservation of greenspaces on campus and educate our students, staff, and the community about the importance of native flora and fauna that exist in our community. This project quantified the bat diversity on campus to understand which areas are providing bats habitat. We quantified bat biodiversity across the campus habitat mosaic on and near Ursinus. To accomplish this, we have installed 10 autonomous passive acoustic recorders throughout this area to record bat echolocation calls each evening. We then passed the recordings through an automated bat detection algorithm to identify which species were making the recorded calls. To examine why certain areas might harbor more diversity, we gathered environmental data, including light, temperature, amount of tree canopy, and amount of impervious surfaces surrounding the recorders. We then examined the relationship between these environmental variables and the species diversity observed in each location. Although analyses are currently ongoing, our findings suggest that Ursinus campus is providing habitat to at least four bat species. Habitats differ in which species are more active. Based on our findings, we will work with Ursinus College to create a more welcoming campus for bats and all wildlife

Internship With the Scarring Alopecia Foundation

I interned with the Scarring Alopecia Foundation, the only non-profit organization working for resources for those living with scarring alopecia. My role was to create an end of year campaign to raise money, create content for all social media platforms, and create a 2024 content calendar

Assessing Climate Niches in Agricultural Fields to Support Biological Pest Control

Agricultural pests such as aphids are responsible for killing a significant number of farmers’ crops. Aphid predators provide biological pest control which is an important ecological service. The resilience of that ecological service is determined by the diverse responses to different environmental conditions and the diverse ranges in which predators can thrive. It has been shown that communities with a higher thermal resilience provide more stable pest control during temperature variations, such as those associated with a changing climate. We studied 5 agricultural fields around the SLU campus in Uppsala, Sweden using low-tech pitfall traps to collect predator and climate data. Each field day, we visited two fields and opened the traps by taking the lids off for two hours. During those two hours, we recorded the soil temperature and soil moisture and collected any predators at the end that were found in the traps. Our project assessed the climate niches of insect predators to contribute to a larger study that is determining how the strength of biological pest control changes under different climates. Our project is part of a multi-year study being conducted in Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Italy. The eventual outcome of the study will instruct Europe on how changes in climate events (droughts, heat waves, etc.) affect the resilience of biological pest control

Without Feathers

Without Feathers was an entry in Myrin Library\u27s 19th Edible Books Festival at Ursinus College.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ebf/1370/thumbnail.jp

Exploring the Movement and Behavior Patterns of Megaptera novaeangliae and Balaenoptera edeni in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama

The Gulf of Chiriquí in western Panama is a biologically diverse region characterized by shallow waters, significant island groups, and sea surface temperatures ranging from 25-29°C. The government of Panama has designated two protected areas within the gulf: Coiba National Park and the Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park. These areas are biodiversity hotspots and vital habitats for various marine species, including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni). Humpback whales are known to migrate from both hemispheres to breed in the gulf, utilizing its warm waters, while Bryde’s whales remain in the area year-round. Both species face threats from anthropogenic noise, vessel collisions, fishery gear entanglement, and habitat changes due to climate change. While much is known about humpback whales, less is understood about the behavior and population dynamics of Bryde’s whales. To enhance our understanding of both species, fieldwork will be conducted using photo identification, drone photogrammetry, short-term suction cup tagging, and genetic sampling. These methods will aid in studying whale behavior and body condition. Additionally, genetic sampling will help clarify the species composition within the gulf. Pre-field preparations involved testing equipment such as drones, altimeters, tags, and tag recovery equipment. Our study aims to provide comprehensive insights into the marine biodiversity of the Gulf of Chiriquí and the behavior and ecology of humpback and Bryde’s whales, contributing to conservation efforts and management strategies in the region

Gender-Specific Mental Health Outcomes in Central America: A Natural Experiment

While COVID lockdown measures have had varying effects on the mental health of different demographics, several bodies of research have noted their disparate effect on women. Why is women\u27s mental health more negatively impacted by lockdown measures, and how much more are they impacted than men? How can we predict and mitigate these negative effects on women? This paper aims to contribute to answering those questions by comparing COVID stringency measures and their effect on the gap in depression rates between men and women in two neighboring countries: Nicaragua and Honduras

The Lantern, 2023-2024

God, worship, and damnation in the font of my body • The Men in My Life • Vagabond Fishermen • Unfinished Elegy • Big Game • Bitters • On the Ferris Wheel • Ruffling Feathers • Haunted House • Dragon in the Pond • Saint Sebastian • The Last Supper • The Perfect Babka • Session • Sunrise • Dish Dog • A Love Letter to Hands • In Memoriam: Mary Lobo \u2715 • Champagne • Resting Place • Balance • An Arboreal Requiem • Moving Forward • Bye-Bye Beach Days • Portofino • The Moth on My Dashboard • Golden Ash • New Chapters, Old Books • Visions of a Tired Receptionist • If It Ends • Salt-Lined Sidewalks • Poetry Can Be Anything • Happy Birthday • Overlooked • Dead Water • Daylight • Morn • The Last of the Bulgarians • To the Infamous • Loneliest Boy in the World • Barn on Fire • Mustang • Rhea • At Fault • Magic Circle • Thursday Afternoon • That Beautiful Blue • Post-Roe Lullaby • A Redefinition of Childhood • Frankenstein\u27s Monster • Eyes • Of Fields and Forests • A Toast to the End of My Life • Water Buffalo • Harvest Season • A Child of Cain Threw a Can Across the Room • To Be the Fairest of Them All • Chaoshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1192/thumbnail.jp

Cover Cropping: How Sustainability and Economics Can Work Hand in Hand

Research finds that over half of the agricultural lands worldwide have been moderately or severely affected by soil degradation (Kopittke et al., 2019). This problem is further heightened by the fact that many farmers are concerned about the profitability of sustainable practices. As a result, this may lead to an increase in the practice of more harmful conventional agricultural techniques if they continue to be considered more economically beneficial in comparison. This paper aims to see if the use of a specific sustainable practice known as cover cropping can help to increase the level of economic benefits farmers receive. Cover crops are typically planted between growing seasons of desired cash crops to promote and sustain soil health. In general, cover crops have often been found to offer benefits such as increased crop yields and a decreased need for fertilizers through increasing the level of soil nitrogen. Using the USDA Census of Agriculture, data from each county in Pennsylvania will be analyzed to determine if a significant difference in net cash farm income exists between farms that utilize cover crops versus those that do not. The results found will be used to investigate if there is any evidence that encouraging farmers to practice cover cropping in order to sustain soil health can have financial benefits as well

Common Lettuce Coral

https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/peh_anthozoa/1003/thumbnail.jp