Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Honors Field Trip ~ Spring 2015

(From left) Mr. Michael Misstishin, Dr. Shirley Clark, 
honors students, and Dr. Ronald Walker
Four honors students joined Dr. Ronald Walker, Honors Director, and Dr. Shirley Clark, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, Science, Engineering and Technology, for our Annual Spring Field trip on April 11.  We started our morning with a behind-the-scene tour conducted by our Penn State Harrisburg alumni, Mr. Michael Misstishin, who graduated with a Environmental Engineering degree in 2014.  As the Pennsylvania Environmental Coordinator at D.G. Yuengling and Sons Inc., Michael showed us how Yuengling's Brewery, America's oldest brewery in Pottsville, PA, participates in environmental conservation from pre-treatment of waste water to conversion of methane gas into renewable energy.  Although the plant was not in operation when we visited, we admired the $50 million facility which produces and distributes beer for thirteen states along the Eastern Seaboard.

Dr. Keith Bildstein (next to Dr. Walker) shows a GPS tagging device 
After refreshing ourselves at a nearby Italian restaurant, we spent our afternoon in the breathtaking Hawk Mountain in Kempton, PA.  Dr. Keith Bildstein, Director of Conservation Science at Acopian Center, explained the significance of raptor research and conservation, not only in Pennsylvania, but across the world. By tagging raptors with solar-powered GPS devices, scientists study their travel patterns and behaviors.  According to Dr. Bildstein's research, turkey vultures from the East Coast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest migrate to Florida, upper South America, and Central America respectively every season.  We also learned that while raptor tagging enhances the understanding of individual or a family of turkey vultures, the flip side of the tagging process may lead to a permanent separation from their families and fellow vultures at times.
               

By Rosemary Yee

No comments:

Post a Comment