SENR Seminar Series - PhD Presentations

The SENR Seminar Series welcomes PhD students Daphney Bonner and Julia Glandorff, who will present their research starting at 4:00 pm in room 103 Kottman Hall  or via Zoom. 

Daphney Bonner will present, "Understanding the Demographic, Environmental, and Health Impacts of Historical Federal Transportation Policy"

Abstract:  A large body of research has demonstrated that many racially and economically segregated communities are plagued by high concentrations of air pollution, such as industrial toxics (Ard 2016) and particulate matter (PM) from vehicle emissions (Thompson 2019). The consequences of this environmental inequality have been tied to racially based laws, regulations, and policies. Archer (2020) contends that our racially and economically segregated cities are the result of several factors, including the implementation of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. Several studies have identified this policy as a large-scale policy of displacement, demolition, and economic disenfranchisement (Archer 2020; DiMento and Ellis 2012). Though this policy has been identified as a contributor to segregation and White flight, little research has been done to link how the implementation of this policy may have contributed to the health and environmental disparities related to increased exposure to traffic related particulate matter.

To address these gaps in knowledge, I use spatial analysis to examine how demographics vary around the US highway network, a national level, to determine if minority populations are more concentrated near major interstates. Furthermore, I conduct a case study spatially analyzing demography and traffic-related air pollutant trends to further examine the relationship between demographics and environmental impacts of highway proximity. Findings thus far from this study support trends arguing that minority communities are more likely to reside near a major U.S. highway and that historical federal transportation policy has heavily influenced community demography and subsequent segregation in U.S. cities. Additionally, maps displaying traffic-related air pollutant levels all display higher concentrations of these pollutants in census tracts in close spatial proximity to various highways, supporting previous research. Results from this study can aid public health officials in identifying and targeting intervention for vulnerable communities most impacted by the ill effects of historic, racialized public policy. Broadly, the results from this study provide further evidence supporting the argument that the implementation of federal highways were physically, racially, and environmentally detrimental to urban cities, and impacted African American communities most.

Julia Glandorff will present, "Darter Reintroduction Success: The Role of Life History Traits Across Three Species"

Abstract: Conservation translocation – reintroducing species into their former native range - is a common management strategy used to reestablish fish populations following disturbance, but not all fish species respond similarly to reintroduction efforts. Thus, there is a critical need to learn from past translocation successes and failures to maximize the chance of recovery success. The bluebreast darter (Etheostoma camurum), variegate darter (E. variatum), and Tippecanoe darter (E. tippecanoe) were formerly endangered in Ohio and have been reintroduced to their native ranges in six Ohio rivers via yearly translocation events that began in 2016. Each species varies in life history traits critical for population reestablishment, such as fecundity, dispersal distance, and body size. Therefore, to understand the variation in translocation success between these three species, I will perform a meta-regression analysis of population growth over time using life history traits as explanatory variables. By quantifying the link between life history traits and reintroduction success, this study will improve the re-establishment of the three focal species and contribute to our basic understanding of how species traits influence population dynamics.