Rider University - GEMS Student Research

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GEMS Student Research

Contact Jonathan Husch at husch@rider.edu or 609-896-5330 for abstract or document availability.

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2008-2009

Elissa Connolly-Randazzo: An initial analysis of the male to female ratio of Parrotfish in different habitats, Roatan Honduras
Elizabeth Evans: A preliminary study of Damselfish cohabitation, Roatan, Honduras
Maria Huffine, Ashleigh Layton, Kelli Luccarino, and Leeann Sinpatanasakul: Retention of sodium in the Centennial Lake watershed, New Jersey (received the Best Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation Award at the New Jersey Water Environmental Association 2009 Annual Meeting)
Ashleigh Layton: Soil and soil changes in an area affected by road salt near I-95, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Carl Natter: Glauconite deposition in the Cretaceous/Tertiary strata of the New Jersey Coastal Plain
Matthew Nelson: Mineral structural water loss and estimation of soil organic matter content by LOI (published in the Canadian Journal of Soil Science)
Matthew Nelson: Is New Jersey barrier island morphology controlled by the Inner Continental Shelf?
Amrita Paul: The effect of a large sharpnose puffer population explosion on the reef in Roatan, Honduras
Valerie Romaniello: Evaluation of methodology in the estimation of percent organic matter in salt marsh sediments
Carey Sliko and Susan Zabrocky: Two strains of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum differ in their ability to utilize organic phosphorus for growth
Susan Zabrocky: Variation in the feeding and decoration behavior of spider crabs in tropical regions of the Eastern United States and the Caribbean

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2007-2008

Samantha DeLaunay: Methodology of garnet separation to investigate the provenance of New Jersey beach sands
Kenneth Kacperowski, Timothy Swavely, and Heather Warren: Relationships among grain size, infiltration rate, and foreshore slope on New Jersey beaches
Kelli Lucarino, Carl Natter, and Daniel Carlson: Road salt application and its impact on the water quality of the Delaware River
Carl Natter: Weathering rate of rocks in the non-tidal portion of the Delaware River Basin
Matthew Nelson: Effect of structual water in clay minerals on the estimation of soil organic matter content by the LOI analytical method
Carey Sliko: Chemical signaling as a defensive strategy for the Mud Snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta
Carey Sliko, Alison Golinski, and Susan Zabrocky: Phosphate stress in two strains of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum determined using a single-cell alkaline phophatase assay (ELF 97)
Brian Tate: Spatial distribution of intertidal organisms on man-made intertidal substrates in New Jersey
Brian Tate: A comparison of intertidal communities along the New Jersey shore growing on rocky versus wooden structures
Megan VonDeesten and Alyssa Tomlinson: Spatial literacy: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems: ENV-205, a new course at Rider University

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2006-2007

Amber Andyshak: Factors influencing the growth and habitat choice of the Northern Piperfish, Syngnathus fuscus
Daniel Hewins: Increase in impervious area and its hydrological impact over the last 50 years in the Delaware River Basin
Daniel Hewins: Jack of all trades: Biological invasion facilitated by use of multiple forms of nitrogen
Kelli Lucarino: Road salt application and its impact on water quality in the Delaware River watershed
Kelli Lucarino: The transport and fate of lead and arsenic at the Ringwood Mines/Landfield Superfund site in New Jersey
Matthew Nelson: Effect of structural water loss from clay minerals on estimation of soil organic content by loss on ignition method
Carey Sliko: Phosphate stress in two strains of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum determined by single-cell alkaline phosphatase assay (ELF 97)
Timothy Swavely: Relationships among infiltration rate, sediment grain size, and beach face slope on the coastline of New Jersey
Heather Warren: The role of sediment size in the complex process of beach face development -- NJ coastline
Susan Zabrocky: Does the ability to produce alkaline phosphatase affect the growth rates of Prorocentrum minimum under various phosphorus conditions?

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2005-2006

Amber Andyshak: The influence of essential minerals on molting and survival of Blue Crab megalopae
Kevin Becker: Impact of the Folcroft Landfill Superfund Site on the water quality of the lower Darby Creek near the Philadelphia International Airport
Theresa Contor, Nicole Glen, Alison Golinski, Amanda Kagel, Elise Proctor, Carey Sliko, Brian Tate, Alyssa Tomlinson, and Susan Zabrocky: Comparison of plankton composition, phytoplankton growth, and zooplankton grazing at a coastal ocean versus a shallow backbay site in New Jersey
Andy French: Factors influencing the abundance and distribution of American Eel larvae in the Manasquan River
Alison Golinski: Sexual selection in the Oyster Toadfish, Opsanus tau
Daniel Hewins: An analysis of impervious surfaces in the Delaware River Basin
Kenneth Kacperowski: Does grain size determine beach face slope: A study of 15 New Jersey beaches
Margaux Keller: Predatory selection of borehole location in the bivalve Anadara spp
Harmony Liff: Crab induced shell defenses in ribbed mussels and muddog snails
Jill Loveland: A day in the life of a marine mammal trainer: Internship at Atlantis Marine World
Michelle Patullo: Factors influencing the movements of American Eel larvae
Carey Sliko and Alison Golinski: The use of a single-cell alkaline phosphatase assay (ELF 97) to determine phosphorus limitation in mixotropic dinoflagellates
Melissa Tresselt: Affect of salinity and temperature on the growth and development of the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata
Melissa Tresselt: Presence of Xenobalanus globicipitis on the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, off the New Jersey coast
Steven Vargo: Groundwater withdrawals in Cape May County and the resultant saltwater intrusion

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2004-2005

Amber Andyshak, Grace Colletti, Claire O'Connell, Michelle Patullo, Melissa Tresselt, and Ranjit Suresh: Algal and invertebrate gradients across the rocky intertidal of Big Pine Key, Florida
Justine Diana: Shell regeneration in mud snails, Ilyanassa obsoleta, subjected to a broader water temperature spectrum
Bethany Eden: Results from COMB: Growth and development of blue crab larvae and culturing food chain organisms
Daniel Latini: Hurricane Ivan induced flooding near the Delaware River at Trenton, NJ on September 19, 2004
Harmony Liff: Effects of commercial fishing pressure on blue crab population structure
Jill Loveland: Response to varying environmental factors by the upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea xamachana
Michelle Patullo: Factors affecting the feeding and growth of the larval American eel, Anguilla rostrata
Danielle Roscoe: Shell regeneration rates in the mud snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta, under experimental hyposaline and increasing temperature regimes
Candida St. John: Analysis of the petroleum contamination of soil and groundwater at a southern New Jersey site
Jeffrey Zola: Recruitment to a coral reef within Castle Harbor, Bermuda, 2005

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2003-2004

Kathryn Bateman: An evaluation of the impact of artificial shorelines on the habitat use and mortality of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus on the New Jersey coast
Mia Castellucci: Where does the rain go? Analyses of river discharge and precipitation at three sites in New Jersey
Mia Castellucci: Analysis of the commercial pilot bioremediation study of a Shell station in New Jersey
Jessica Messersmith: A rapid method for detection of invasive Hematodinium sp. infections in Callinectes sapidus and Carcinus maenas using PCR
Jason Morson: Experimental shell regeneration in aquairum-bound Northern Moonsnails, Euspira heros

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2002-2003

William Bogetti: Identifying and delineating critical wildlife habitat in the Pinelands for Pine Barrens Tree Frogs (Hyla andersonii)
Jonathan Cooper: The effect of chlorine, pH and temperature on the coliform bacteria counts in public and private pools and its health indication
Sarah Faugno: Chemical and sedimentological analysis of Centennial Lake: An analysis for the use of dredging to help restore the lake ecosystem
Frank Petrino: Determination of the origin of Archean stromatolite-like structures in the Cherry Creek Group near Dillon, Montana
Gregory Ricci: Mapping the environmental sensitive locations in Watershed Management Areas 19 and 20 of Burlington County
Steven Snopkowski: Interactions between invasive and native species: Prey selectivity and competitive ability of Carcinus maenas and Callinectes sapidus
Melanie Spence: Uprighting abilities of horseshoe crabs on different substrates
Melanie Spence: Color preferences for blue and gold macaws

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2001-2002

Jill Brown: Size and site selectivity of parasitism by Cliona lampa on New Jersey gastropods
Christine Buccheri: The effects of salinity, light intensity, temperature, and nutrients on the growth and chlorophyll content of Ulva lactuca
Russell Burke: Influence of sediment grain size and salinity on the burrowing rate of juvenile hard lam, Mercenaria mercenaria
Robert Mack: Predator-prey interactions between the Moonsnail (Neverita duplicata) and three species of bivalves (Andara notabilis, Chione elevata, and Dinocardium robustum)
Frank Petrino: Second year (2001) post-treatment evaluation for controlling Phragmites in the east pool at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, Brigantine, NJ
Serena Turner: Carrion selectivity of the Mud Dog Whelk Ilyanassa obsoleta
Matthew Wojtko: Comparisons of selected channel cores from offshore Monmouth County, New Jersey

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 2000-2001

Karen Antozzeski: Centenial Lake restoration, watershed protection, and initial public outreach program, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Kimberly Bishop: Assessment of offshore sediments in AREA C from the New Jersey continental shelf for potential use in beach replenishment
Brian Kennedy: Analysis of gasoline transport in a sandy aquifer
Jennifer O'Reilly: Frequency, size selectivity, and repair rates of sublethal damage of Littorina obtusata
Julie Pasternak: Grain size variation across natural and filled beaches
Brett Williams: Comparative mobility of juvenile mussels: Mytilus edulis versus Geukensia demissa

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 1999-2000

Robert Baron: Effect of burrowing in different substrates on shell accretion by and abrasion of Mercenaria mercenaria
Russell Burke: Centennial Lake Watershed Project: Water quality monitoring update
Heidi Burns: Land use history of Colonial Lake watershed and potential nonpoint source and point source implications
Tricia Cranmer: Repair rates of surgically damaged Geukensia demissa and Mytilus edulis
Jennifer Durkin: Assessment of predator-prey distributions across a Zostera marina habitat edge
Jennifer Fager: Water chemistry of Colonial Lake, Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Kimberly Kessler: The uptake of trace metals by roots, stems, and leaves of Spartina alterniflora in polluted versus cleaner sediments
Karin Licsko: Removal of the invasive exotic, Lythrum salicaria (Purple Loosestrife): Impact on plant diversity in the constructed wetland at the Hamilton/Trenton tidal freshwater marsh
Danielle McBride: Comparisons of trace metal accumulations of seven different algae withe the Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, and Phaeophyta
Lori Roth: Various trace metal concentrations in the shells of the freshwater mussel, Anodonta sp., at different ontogenetic stages
Jennifer Sliko: Analysis of different parameters of Centennial Lake during the summer of 1998

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 1998-1999

Russell Burke: Centennial Lake water quality monitoring
Jennifer Hoag: Predator-prey interactions between A. forbesi, E. heros, and M. mercenaria
Danielle Lake: The effects of development on the beach and dune width at Brant Beach, NJ
Shauna Lee: Land use, potential pollutant sources, and stormwater quality of a portion of the Centennial Lake watershed, Rider University Campus, Lawrenceville, NJ
Gretchen Mattes: The effects of oxygen concentration on byssal thread production by Mytilus edilus, the blue musssel, and Geukensia demissa, the ribbed mussel
Frances Pustizzi: Copper, zinc, and chromium concentrations in the soft tissues of the mussels Modiolus modiolus and Mytilus edulis at different ontogenetic stages
Frances Pustizzi: Zinc and copper concentrations in selected organs of the mussels Modiolus modiolus and Mytilus edulis at different ontogenetic stages
Alanna Sanders: Twenty-four hour tidal fluctuations of Centennial Lake
Nicole Viti: Sediment transport in a flume
Jamie White: Comparison of filled and non-filled beaches after a beach replenishment project

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 1997-1998

Matthew Distlehurst: Excess nitrate contamination in the waterways of golf courses
Brad Dooley: The selectivity in predation of zooplankton of the Chesapeake Bay by Chrysaora quinquecirrha
James Gordon: Selectivity of Naticids preying upon Chione cancellata from North Carolina to Florida
Matthew Greenberg: A saline-water intrusion experiment in heterogeneous aquifers
Deanne Greeny: Hydrodynamic stability of disarticulated clam valves from the South Carolina coast
Jennifer Hoag and Jamie White (coauthors): Tidal characteristics of Apalachicola Bay, Florida
Kelly McAloon: The effects of bacterial mat entrainment on the chemical micro-stratigraphy of a Sea Isle City tidepool
Michelle Nannen: Leaching of copper, chromium, and arsenic in saline water and underlying sediments from chromated copper-arsenate-treated wood
Pamela Neeb: Burrowing rates and sediment grain size preference of the mud dogwhelk Ilyanassa obsoleta
Joanne Stott: The heavy metal uptake of the Honerstown glauconites
Megan Tutera: Biodeposition by the mussel Geukensia demissa in a salt marsh
Jamie White and Jennifer Hoag (coauthors): Will the high tide be higher in the future in NJ because of the global sea level rise?
Jaime Wuelfing: A comparison of filled and nonfilled beaches after a beach replenishment project

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 1996-1997

Stacy Aron: The effects of development on the dune system of a barrier island community, Harvey Cedars, NJ
Louise Bolge: Geochemistry of the cupola-like strucutre and smaller intrusions in the Rocky Hill diabase sheet, South Brunswick, NJ
Jesse Breeden: Effects of Bermudan benthic algae on sediment stabilization
Jay Crohe: Geochemical variation along and across strike of an early Mesozoic basaltic dike, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Michael Eldert: Are microbial mats grain size selective in trapping sediment?
Mark Haulenbeek: Marked contrast in structural style of the Leithsville Formation in two outcrops, one mile apart, on the PA and NJ sides of the Deleware River
Larina Howell: Net uptake of copper and zinc trace metal concentrations in the mussel Geukensia demissa versus Mytilus edulis
Janet Hunsher: Determinataion of well head protection area from flow tube experiments on the Cohansey Formation
Joey Rabin: The applications of Darcy formulas on data from a modified Shelby tube to analyze the hydraulic properties of the Cohansey Formation
Rebecca Tedesco: Selectivity of Dioatra cuprea in production of tubes and tube caps

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 1995-1996

Kimberly Akers: The Effect of Salinity Fluctuations on the Behavior of the Mud Dog Whelk Ilyanassa obsoleta
Benjamin Carey: Effects of temperature and salinity on feeding behavior of Gambusia affinis
Dawn Chicano: The effect of temperature on the behavior and activity of the Fiddler Crab Uca pugnax
Julie Howard: The effect of bacterial mat entrainment on tide pool chemistry
Amanda McCarty: Behavioral Response of the Hermit Crab Pagurus longicarpus and the Fiddler Crab Uca pugnax to Illumination of Varied Wavelength
Brandon Muffley: Competitive interactions during grazing among the periwinkle snails Littorina littorea and Littorina obtusata
Kerry Szemple: Geochemistry of the stope-like structure in the Lambertville Sill, Rocktown, New Jersey: Distribution of late-stage granophyric rocks
Janine Whartenby: The Dietary Differences Between and Within Species of Winter Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus ). Summer Flounder (Paralichthys dentatus ), and the Hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus )
Mathew Wilson: Differences in Valve Strength of Live Versus Dead Bivalves

Senior Theses and Student Independent Research: 1994-1995

Ian Gibbings: Impact of spray irrigation on groundwater quality in the Cape May Formation at Stockton State College
Dwayne Kobesky: Grazing pressure of gastropods on microbial mats of New Jersey
Tony Natale: Epibiont distribution on roots of the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle
Michelle Pelc: Investigation of the effect of ctenophore predation on zooplankton distribution and abundance
Erik Roessner: Vertical leaching of Cu, Cr, and As in sediments adjacent to CCA treated wood
Melissa Ronches: Environmental impact of sewage effluent on freshwater wetlands
David Scymanski: Frequency of shell color polymorphism in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis along the New Jersey coast
Jessica Stephen: The effect of water temperature on the behavior of the intertidal hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus
Kerry Szemple: Flume experiments: Grain size and flow velocities
Kristin Van Nest: The impact of artificially added nutrients to a stream system based upon studies during wet and dry periods
Jodi Wendt: Substrate selectivity, taxic behavior, and strength of byssal attachment of Isognomon alatus, Hormomya exusta, and Barbatia cancellaria