Category Archives: SP 22 Teams

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Team CMTK is for the bees!

  By cao5400 • May 1, 2022 , , ,

Hello everyone, we are team CMTK! Our Eacap project was all about the decline in the bee population. Our research focused on the risks that many of our pollinators die from, such as pesticides and parasites. For our community service, we worked on a bee hotel at the PSU Berk’s greenhouse.

 

Summary of service-

Our service goal was to create a bee hotel to help sustain the native bee population in our area. We first did this by gathering a lot of bamboo from behind the school. We then cut these pieces of bamboo into 6 inches. Before gluing them into a pre-cut honeycomb design, we had to let them dry and condense for about a week. We then ready to glue all of the dried-out bamboo on, creating little sections for the bees to lay their eggs.

Service Video
IMG_172553281 (7)

Brochure
Yellow Blue Professional Travel Packages Trifold Brochure (1)

Summary of research-
For our research, we kept to the same topic of the decline in bee population. We conducted our research on the different factors that are threatening the bee population, what would happen without bees, and means for change. For the causes in decline, we found that habitat loss, invasive parasites, and the use of synthetic pesticides to be causes. We learned that without our pollinators, we would not have the cultivated goods we have today, such as produce. We went over many solutions, but sound bee hotels to be the most realistic and long-term.

Reflection-

  • All and all, we learned a lot from our EACAP project. Between cutting and gluing bamboo together, digging the holes for the bee habitat to be submerged in the ground, and conducting research about what threats the bees face, our EACAP module taught us a lot. We got to work together as a team and with our organization, and we also learned a lot about the decline in bee populations. Personally, we all know that bees and other pollinators are an important part of our ecosystem. Getting the opportunity to expand our knowledge to the fullest by diving into this topic was really important. The importance of finding a worthy cause and educating others about it was one of our main takeaways from this assignment. This earth day, we were happy to share our experience with you all. We are not just Penn State, but we are for the bees!

 

 

 

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About Us

  By Garrett Bland • April 30, 2022 , ,

Hello, our team name is Nittany Rocks and our names are Sid, Garrett, Shawn and Devon. Sid served as the team leader while Garrett was responsible for all the communications between the group and the organization at Rock Hollow Woods. Our research component was based on Climate Change.

Service Project:

For our service component of the EACAP project, we were tasked to help the organization at Rock Hollow Woods for 2 days. On the first day, our team toke apart a bridge which was made out of wood logs and was aging due to the weather conditions. We were given tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and etc. to un-bolt the screws on the bridge. After cutting logs of woods with equipment provided by the organization, we started to settle 2 logs as the base of the bridge and then settle the other logs. On the second day of our visit at Rock Hollow Woods, we cut down some trees that were on the verge of falling around the trail in the forest. We were able to use the opportunity to experience something to favor the environment.

Service Video

Research Project:

Our research component of the EACAP project, we presented to our class about Climate Change. Informing the audience about general information we later discussed the causes, solutions and some possible sustainable development goals about Climate Change. Global Warming has been the biggest contribution to Climate Change. Forcing a lot of species that live in cold temperatures, many glaciers and ice caps have melted which has dislocated the population in order to look for food, shelter and water. Our sources provided concrete information and were reliable.

Poster Session:

We had the opportunity to present our service and research project to our fellow classmates and members of PSU Berks. We were able to interact with others as we had the opportunity of explaining our service and research project to them. Also, we were able to go around and look at other groups’ service and research projects.

Brochure:

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Marsh Madness EACAP

  By Ryan Curtiss • April 29, 2022 ,

Marsh Madness Attacks Monster Invasive Species

Professor Kazempour-BiSci3 Spring 2022 Environmental-Awareness & Community Action Project

Introduction:

Our group is Marsh Madness and we are Zach Fuller, Yash Parikh, Ryan Curtiss, and Tommy Kalash. Tommy is in his sophomore year, he is majoring in accounting, and his favorite part about this experience was getting closer to nature reminding him of his childhood.

Research:

Our research was about Invasive species and the struggles of managing national parks. The invasive species we focused on were Phragmites  (common reed), Callery pear tree, and the tree of heaven. All these are invasive meaning they have no natural predator since these plants are not in the habitat they were made for. Therefore these plants grow uncontrollably. The common reed grows on the banks of the water and survives even underwater. The Callery pear is invasive in the way it spread so quickly thanks to birds trying to eat the little pears and then rapidly spreading the seeds elsewhere. Then the tree of heaven is invasive because it grows and lanternflies (also invasive) eat the bark and leave a black, ash-looking residue that kills the trees to the roots. The roots can also then spread this disease to other trees putting them at risk.

The other topic we researched was on managing federal lands and national parks. This ranged from how natural disasters like erosion, wildfires and tropical storms damage the environment on those lands. There’s lots of negative human involvement that affects these parks that we may not realize. Some are climate change, pollution, depletion of natural resources, overcrowding, drilling, fracking, and negative policies that affect national parks.

Issues managing and Maintaining federal parks <–(Link to the Pamphlet)

Service:

Our group Marsh Madness partnered up with Brianna a park ranger as part of our service component at the Blue Marsh National Recreation Area, to help them out by cataloging invasive species. Our cataloging consisted of us walking around the Blue Marsh area and finding the invasive species, taking pictures of them, and logging that into the database. The rangers then use this information and come up with an idea on how to get rid of or slow the invasive species. We as a team clocked in 8+ hours of community service and in that time learned a lot more than we thought we would.

Reflection:

We got to really spend time outside isolated in nature, this made us explore the natural beauty of the environment. We all had a certain way of thinking when it came to parks and nature and it wasn’t really our priorities. We now realize that if not us then no one. We have to start taking care of it and not just ignoring the problems the national parks face every day.  It doesn’t take much to help, something as simple as throwing away your trash and being energy efficient can go a long way.

 

Thank you to Dr. Kazempour and Brianna for helping the group mature in our environmental awareness and forming a connection to nature.

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The Nittany Rocks at Rock Hollow Woods

  By Sidharth Goyal • April 29, 2022

About Us:

Hello, our team name is Nittany Rocks and our names are Sid, Garrett, Shawn and Devon. Sid served as the team leader while Garrett was responsible for all the communications between the group and the organization at Rock Hollow Woods. Our research component was based on Climate Change.

Service Project:

For our service component of the EACAP project, we were tasked to help the organization at Rock Hollow Woods for 2 days. On the first day, our team toke apart a bridge which was made out of wood logs and was aging due to the weather conditions. We were given tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and etc. to un-bolt the screws on the bridge. After cutting logs of woods with equipment provided by the organization, we started to settle 2 logs as the base of the bridge and then settle the other logs. On the second day of our visit at Rock Hollow Woods, we cut down some trees that were on the verge of falling around the trail in the forest. We were able to use the opportunity to experience something to favor the environment.

Service Video

Research Project:

Our research component of the EACAP project, we presented to our class about Climate Change. Informing the audience about general information we later discussed the causes, solutions and some possible sustainable development goals about Climate Change. Global Warming has been the biggest contribution to Climate Change. Forcing a lot of species that live in cold temperatures, many glaciers and ice caps have melted which has dislocated the population in order to look for food, shelter and water. Our sources provided concrete information and were reliable.

Poster Session:

We had the opportunity to present our service and research project to our fellow classmates and members of PSU Berks. We were able to interact with others as we had the opportunity of explaining our service and research project to them. Also, we were able to go around and look at other groups’ service and research projects.

Brochure:

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The Marshians – EACAP

  By mms6856 • April 29, 2022 , , ,

Who are we?

We are the Marshians and our team consists of (from left to right), Jacob Painton, Rocco Giannangeli, Matthew Tomlinson, and Michael Santana. We chose to research invasive species and remove some from Blue Marsh Lake, specifically at Squirrel Run Trail. The invasive species that we are currently removing from the trail include the Japanese Barberry, Burning Bush, Multiflora Rose and the Oriental Bittersweet.

What are Invasive Species?

Invasive species are any animal, organism, or plant that is introduced into a new environment by humans. Invasive species harm property, native plants, native organisms and animals, and cause ecological and economic damage and often spread rapidly.

What are causes of Invasive Species?

Invasive species may be let loose, brought to a new area on purpose or used for pest control in a new environment and are usually brought without any expectations of consequences.

What are consequences of Invasive Species?

Consequences include:

  • Newly introduced species may not have any predators
  • Breeding and spreading occurs quickly, taking over an area
  • Can outcompete native species for resources
  • Can bring or cause diseases
  • Changes in the food web entirely

What are some solutions?

Solutions include trapping or hunting animal species can be an effective way to dwindle the population, removing plants by the roots will help reduce the spread of invasive plant species or introduction of predators into an environment.

What Invasive Species are found at Blue Marsh?

Blue Marsh has a variety of invasive species but the ones we primarily worked with are the Japanese Barberry and the Burning Bush.

Japanese Barberry is a plant used as an ornamental that was brought to the U.S. in 1875. It exceeds 4 feet in height and it appears in clusters of 2-4 and are a creamy yellow color by the root.

Burning Bush is native to Asia and was introduced in the 1800s. It is not aggressive but it can grow up to 15 feet tall and take up lots of space.

Below you can see Jacob and Rocco cutting down Burning Bush.

Reflection:

Prior to working at Blue Marsh, our team knew we wanted to work hands on with helping the environment in whatever way we could. We had an idea of invasive species but did not know much about invasive plant species. It was not until we did our research that we were mesmerized by the amount of invasive plant species there is. When we began our work at Blue Marsh, Brianna was wonderful enough to teach us about some of the invasive species that they struggle with there. Learning about these specific invasive species made it easier for us to detect them in the wild and remove them. We enjoyed working as team in removing these species and learned a lot not only from our research but also from our experience.

Service Video:

In our service video, we explain what exactly our service entailed as well as show off the areas in which we worked on. We would like to think Brianna Treichler for all the help guidance as well as Professor K.

Brochure:

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Making Berks Beautiful One Step at a Time…

  By ckp5321 • April 29, 2022

Hello! Our group, Make Berks Beautiful, is joined by Colby Pyle, Richard Kirkpatrick III, Vinnie Chopra, and Josh Breton. Throughout the Spring Semester of 2022 with Dr. Chambers of PSU, we had picked up all different types of litter from local Berks County Areas such as Gring’s Mill, Blue Marsh Lake, and around the Berks Campus. We had made immense progress by picking up every single piece of litter we could find such as water bottles, cardboard, and even broken glass. Out of the crash we had collected, we had made a bear sculpture out of trash named Barry!

Throughout our services, we had realized that the issue of littering is not only a local problem, but a global problem as well. That is why our group slogan is “Make Berks Beautiful One Step At a Time”, symbolizing that the only way we as humans can stop global pollution is if we start on the local scale first, picking up one piece of trash at a time!

Barry the Bear

Throughout our research, we had found that littering and pollution has been a major issue within Reading, PA. The city of Reading had recently spent $1million on an annual litter cleanup throughout the streets, including weekly street sweeping programs and enforcement against illegal waste dumping. About 8 million tons of plastic waste find its way into the oceans and 76% of litter is found on roadways which comes from motorists and pedestrians. Estimate of over one million animals die each year after ingesting, or becoming entrapped in, improperly discarded trash. Plastic litter is the most common killer of animals. Each year over 100,000 dolphins, fish, whales, turtles, and more drown after becoming entangled in or digesting plastic litter.

Brochure

Our Service Video

https://psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/video-output-408B5840-1F67-4B9C-B8E5-7009C569DC1C/1_6lk4a95i

MYTH: Litter doesn’t affect the economy.

FACT: Litter discourages economic development because it impacts real estate values. Good stores and important businesses will not locate in a community which lacks the pride to effectively control litter.

Floods happen in cities when the rate of rain or stream flow exceeds the infrastructure’s ability to divert it. City infrastructure is typically built to withstand a very high rate of rainfall or stream flow without flooding the city. Litter can build up in storm drains like a blood clot. When litter clogs storm drains and streets, the infrastructure’s diversion capability is decreased, and in some situations, this will cause flooding.

 

Make Berks Beautiful had an awesome time making populated areas in Reading have less litter than they had before. We strive to make an small but crucial impact to our community and campus by picking every piece of trash we see. The impact you make by throwing your garbage in the trash can is huge and proves the end of littering only can happen if we start one step at a time!

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EJKK Climate Blessing

  By ecg5307 • April 29, 2022 , , ,

EJKK Climate Blessing

EJKK Climate Blessing is a team consisting of four Penn State students: Ebony Grant, Jennifer Honorat, Krista Wickel, and Kirubel Asnake.  Pictured above (from left to right) are Krista, Ebony, and Jennifer.

Research Component 

Nature Deficiency 

For our EACAP project, we focused on researching the topic of Nature Deficiency. Nature Deficiency describes how people especially children are spending less time surrounded by nature.  Nature-Deficit Disorder coined by Richard Louv describes the widespread epidemic of inactivity as increasingly more children spend less time outside.   This has led to a wide range of behavioral problems. This is widespread due to an “epidemic of inactivity” as children become increasingly disconnected from the environment. 

Service Component  

For our service project, we worked with the Glenside Elementary school. We had created posters for the 4th-grade classrooms about the life cycle of a plant, the parts of the plant, and how to care for a plant. Ebony also planted 14 marigolds for each classroom. Ebony and Krista presented the posters to a 4th-grade classroom through zoom, for them to present to the other classes. Our main goal was to educate the children about the life cycle of plants. 

 

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Marsh Madness EACAP

Image

  By tpk5306 • April 29, 2022 , , , ,

Marsh Madness Attacks Monster Invasive Species

Professor Kazempour-BiSci3 Spring 2022 Environmental-Awareness & Community Action Project

Introduction:

Our group is Marsh Madness and we are Zach Fuller, Yash Parikh, Ryan Curtiss, and Tommy Kalash. Tommy is in his sophomore year, he is majoring in accounting, and his favorite part about this experience was getting closer to nature reminding him of his childhood.

picture of us

Research:

Our research was about Invasive species and the struggles of managing national parks. The invasive species we focused on were Phragmites  (common reed), Callery pear tree, and the tree of heaven. All these are invasive meaning they have no natural predator since these plants are not in the habitat they were made for. Therefore these plants grow uncontrollably. The common reed grows on the banks of the water and survives even underwater. The Callery pear is invasive in the way it spread so quickly thanks to birds trying to eat the little pears and then rapidly spreading the seeds elsewhere. Then the tree of heaven is invasive because it grows and lanternflies (also invasive) eat the bark and leave a black, ash-looking residue that kills the trees to the roots. The roots can also then spread this disease to other trees putting them at risk.

The other topic we researched was on managing federal lands and national parks. This ranged from how natural disasters like erosion, wildfires and tropical storms damage the environment on those lands. There’s lots of negative human involvement that affects these parks that we may not realize. Some are climate change, pollution, depletion of natural resources, overcrowding, drilling, fracking, and negative policies that affect national parks.

picture of pamphlet

Service:

Our group Marsh Madness partnered up with Brianna a park ranger as part of our service component at the Blue Marsh National Recreation Area, to help them out by cataloging invasive species. Our cataloging consisted of us walking around the Blue Marsh area and finding the invasive species, taking pictures of them, and logging that into the database. The rangers then use this information and come up with an idea on how to get rid of or slow the invasive species. We as a team clocked in 8+ hours of community service and in that time learned a lot more than we thought we would.

pictures, service video

Reflection:

We got to really spend time outside isolated in nature, this made us explore the natural beauty of the environment. We all had a certain way of thinking when it came to parks and nature and it wasn’t really our priorities. We now realize that if not us then no one. We have to start taking care of it and not just ignoring the problems the national parks face every day.  It doesn’t take much to help, something as simple as throwing away your trash and being energy efficient can go a long way.

 

Thank you to Dr. Kazempour and Brianna for helping the group mature in our environmental awareness and forming a connection to nature.

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Sustainability, It’s a Lifestyle

  By jft5415 • April 29, 2022

Introduction

Pink Tiger is a team compromised of Kayleen LaSalle, Owen Tomme, and Noreen Tsai.

We completed research on how sporting events are managed, and how we can improve them to make them more sustainable. 

For our service component, we worked with Scot Case to which he assigned us to compile a list of sustainability objectives to which we presented to him.

Sustainability in Sporting Events

Sporting events are not the most conservative events in the world, and they generally produce a lot of waste while also using up tons of energy. In turn, the sustainability of sporting events can be improved by a considerable extent. Some of the causes of waste in sporting events include transportation, food waste, disposable trash from physical advertising, and high use of energy and water. The consequences from these causes include carbon dioxide, plastic pollution, leftovers and trash, different types of waste, health risks, and a depletion of energy and water sources. Solutions to these issues include transportation from big stations or popular spots to the field, handling waste, using digital resources, taking green initiatives on the use of water, using alternative energy sources, and having green stadiums.

The Service

We worked with Scot Case, whom is the Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability for the National Retail Federation. He informed us that every year, in the month of January, that a large event occurs at the Javits Center in New York. Here, sustainability has become a critical focus in the efforts of improving the quality of life and the environment. The task we were assigned was to research and compile a list of our top 10 objectives towards sustainability in the hosting of these events, and we presented our top 10 to Scot Case.

Here is our Top 10 Sustainability Objectives:

1. Clarify the Mission and Goals

2. State the Action Plan

3. Communication

4. Educating Guests on Sustainability

5. An Accessible Venue

6. Hosting in a Sustainable Building

7. Types of Foods Sold

8. Food Waste

9. Going Paperless

10. Using Recyclables/Reusable Items and Supplies

Reflection

This is an eye opening project for us to see how the smallest change can have the tremendous impact to the world. Sustainability does not only apply to events, but also in our daily life. Doing recycling correctly, bring your own containers for food and beverage, going paperless, and don’t over purchase groceries are some examples of what we can do to help our environment to be more sustainable.

The poster

The Brochure

The Service Video