Trio of Calvin students receive Michigan Sea Grants
This summer, five students across the state of Michigan are doing research funded by the Michigan Sea Grant, an initiative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Calvin students Moses Huang, Andrew Slagter, and Naomi Dykstra are three of the grant recipients.
“The fact that Calvin secured more than half of these grants among all schools in the state is pretty remarkable,” said Dave Warners, professor of biology.
Categorizing trash
Moses Huang and Andrew Slagter’s research projects are through the Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS). Huang’s project is focused on gaining insight into what types of trash are heading downstream. Through installing a litter boom, a floating barrier designed to prevent litter from continuing to head downstream, Huang is biweekly cleaning up and categorizing the trash. The goal is to improve community awareness to enact change.
“I am very interested in the microplastic issue in the oceans, so doing this research relates a bit to what I’m interested in,” said Huang, a junior from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania double majoring in environmental health and conservation and biology. “I love opportunities like this because it gives me a field base of research.”
Assessing biodiversity
Slagter is doing a biodiversity assessment of larger green infrastructure in the Plaster Creek watershed. His research focuses on areas that used to be quite urbanized but have more recently been restored to a more natural state through flood plain restoration and bioswale projects. While it’s well known that these projects are beneficial to improving the area by reducing stormwater runoff, Slagter’s research is more novel—looking at what birds, insects, and small mammals are in these areas compared to grass lawns.
“The more we understand about green infrastructure projects and their benefits, the more we can implement them and have the ability to back the funding for future projects,” said Slagter, a junior from Cedarburg, Wisconsin double majoring in biology and strategic communication.
Creating a plant inventory
Dykstra is adding a layer of research to the Emma Cole Project, which was started 150 years ago by Emma Cole, a scientist, high school teacher, and botanist in Grand Rapids. Cole did floristic inventories in the Grand Rapids area. For the past several years, Calvin students have been creating their own inventories of Grand Rapids city parks. This summer, Dykstra is continuing that work as she inventories the diversity of plants today and compares them to the past.
“Every day we go out into the woods at nine different sites, and we collect any flowering plants, bring them back to the lab, ID them, and write down all the data,” said Dykstra, a senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan majoring in environmental health and conservation. “Eventually later this summer, we will give all of this information back to the city so that they know what’s there and can therefore have a better idea of how to manage the parks.”
Ripple effects of research
While Huang, Slagter, and Dykstra’s projects will all have an impact on their communities, they also see the potential ripple effects.
“Having localized research can serve as a model framework or study that can then be expanded into the greater region, into the Great Lakes,” said Slagter. “The more information we can grow at Calvin, we are able to propagate through other partnerships and can be adopted by surrounding communities.”
“Growing up I struggled with seeing the amount of brokenness between humans and the environment and that made me pretty sad,” said Dykstra. “I think working with PCS gave me so much more hope and an understanding of what my role could be, that even though these are really big issues, I can personally help and be a part of a bigger project and a bigger group of people to benefit the environment. This gives me a lot more professional hope.”
Researching alongside experts and mentors
The trio will finish their research projects in late July and have all valued the ability to learn alongside their professors—something they admit is fairly unique.
“I’d say the biggest draw for me is having the small class sizes, direct mentorship, and relationships that extend beyond the classroom. You don’t feel confined to just talking about an assignment or a project but feel the ability to talk about your career interests, to ask broader questions, and to have an open dialogue with your professors,” said Slagter. “A great thing about that specifically for the summer research project so far is because I’ve had a number of bio profs, I’m able to freely consult with each of them in accordance with their specialties.”
“It makes the job so much easier to have experts in the field with you. Calvin is surrounded by people who are experts in the field, and they are working directly with you,” said Dykstra. “I’ve done so many different things at Calvin that I don’t know would have been possible in a larger school.”