Faculty Research
Biology Professor Uses Algae to Scrub Wastewater
for Pollutants at Treatment
Plant
A
Sonoma State University biology professor and his graduate student have
teamed up with the City of Santa Rosa to investigate the potential use
of algae to remove excess nutrients and other contaminants from municipal
wastewater effluent.
Early this month treated wastewater began flowing through two parallel 400 square foot experimental scrubbers on the grounds of the city's Laguna Treatment Plant. The three-tiered, flow-through devices built by R.S. Duckworth Construction of Sebastopol are based on a smaller pilot scrubber design in operation since October 2006 under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Michael Cohen. MORE.
Looking Out for the Sea Palm - Biology Professor Studying Sustainable Harvesting Practices for Popular Sea Vegetable
Sonoma
State University biology professor Karina Nielsen is studying an edible seaweed
collected extensively in Mendocino County whose aggressive harvesting may
lead to local extinction. Because the demand for seaweed has risen significantly
in recent years, and because little is known about their basic natural history,
some biologists worry that the sea palm may be vulnerable to overexploitation.
Nielsen's work, in collaboration with University of California, Santa Barbara
biologist Carol Blanchette, will provide marine regulators with the information
they need to ensure sustainable commercial use of the seaweed. MORE.
DNA Lab Studies Species Conservation
Research in Biology Professor Derek Girman's lab focuses on using molecular genetic tools to study issues in the evolution, ecology, and/or conservation of animal species. Past research projects have included studies of the endangered African wild dog, tropical rainforest birds from western Africa (e.g. little green bul bul, black-bellied seedcracker), and neotropical migratory songbirds (e.g. Wilson's warbler). Current projects in the lab include studies in molecular systematics and population-level analyses.
These projects, led by graduate and undergraduate researchers, include: molecular systematics of the Catharus thrush complex with implications for the evolution of avian migratory behavior; examination of brood parasitism by cow birds in Wilson's warbler; analysis of the genetic structure among flyways of the sharp-shinned hawk; systematics of the Ponerine ants; biogeography of the ants of Madagascar; microsatellite analysis of Russian River steelhead; and the analysis of the genetic structure of the Pacific harbor seal.
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