The Science and Geology of Radon in PA

 

Bob Lewis from the Bureau of Radiation protection, a division of  the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Robert C. Smith from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR - Retired) gave a presentation, “The Science and Geology of Radon in PA,” on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 on the Bloomsburg University campus.


Mr Lewis began the presentation by stating the radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is naturally occuring, but also radioactive and carcinogenic.  An estimated 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above Environmental Protection Agency's action guideline of 4 picocuries per liter.  He then went on to speak about how radon levels can be tested and if the levels are too high, how a radon mitigation system is used to address the problem.

Dr. Smith,professional geologist, presented the geology of radon in PA.  He spoke of uranium, thorium, and radium levels (which all decay to produce radon) in soil and talked about the geological landforms, soil composition, and rock formations that have attributed to the high levels of radon in PA.  He specifically focused on an area of southeast Lehigh County with an extremely high radon concentration. 

More information on radon levels in Pennsylvania, how you can get your home tested, and the radon hotline number can be found on the PA EPA website. (www.dep.pa.gov)

Society of Toxicolgy Undergraduate Faculty Grant

Dr. Michael Borland, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received a Society of Toxicology (SOT) Undergraduate Faculty Grant to support the training of undergraduate students through toxicology-based research experiences.  Dr. Borland used this grant to support the research being conducted by BU undergraduate biochemistry major, Taylor Runkle.  Ms. Runkle is investigating an isosteric selenium-substituted PPARβ/δ ligand as a novel human malignant melanoma therapeutic and plans to present this research at the 2019 Intercollegiate Student Chemists Convention at Gettysburg College and the 2020 Society of Toxicology meeting in Anaheim, CA.  Dr. Borland was asked to blog about his experiences in undergraduate toxicology research.  The blog, entitled, "Recruiting the Future: The SOT Undergraduate Faculty Grant Program" can be read by clicking the title.

PA Fish and Boat Commission Visit

EGGS  301 Water Resources Management class: Lea Zarr (EGGS junior), Meghan Corridoni (EGGS junior), Commissioner Eric Hussar, Dr. Hare-Harris, and Kyle Andreacchio (EGGS senior)

Eric Hussar, President of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Commissioner of the Fifth District, came to Bloomsburg University today to speak to students about the commission, what services it offers, and opportunities for employment. During his visit, he spoke to three classes: EGGS 301 Water Resource Management taught by Dr. Trish Beyer, EGGS 315 Geography of Recreation, Tourism, and Sport taught by Dr. John Bodenman, BIO 410 Integrated Invertebrate Zoology taught by Dr. Thom Klinger. He is also attending an informal lunch with any students interested in learning more about the commission.

Commissioner Hussar highlighted a few of the services and projects of the PA Fish and Boat Commission, including stream restoration, endangered animal relocation and license sales. He also encouraged students to investigate internship opportunities with the PA Fish and Boat Commission.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is the state agency responsible for the regulation of all fishing and boating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Unlike many states, Pennsylvania separates their game commission from their fish commission, which regulates fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Created in 1866, today it manages boat launches, waterways and other properties used for recreational fishing and boating. “The mission of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is: to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth's aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities.” The visit was organized by Dr. Hare-Harris, BAHS assistant professor and Stephen J. Jones Faculty Fellow. 
www.fishandboat.com

Biology students tour Adventure Aquarium

Pictured left to right, back row: Justin Blake, Rodney King, Dr. Klinger, Caitlyn Collins, Emily Ashberry, Hannah Anderson and Ben Paul.  Front row: Keara Drummer, Kayla Davis and Dr. Hare-Harris

On February 23, 2019, undergraduate and graduate students from Dr. Klinger’s Bio 410/510 Integrative Invertebrate Zoology class visited Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. There they were given a tour of the husbandry and research facilities and learned about different aspects of a career in animal sciences. The group was hosted by BU Marine Biology alumnus Jack Carr, who is the Director of Education and Engagement at the Center for Aquatic Sciences at Adventure Aquarium. The Center for Aquatic Sciences was founded in 1989 and has since been advancing the understanding of and concern for aquatic animals and their habitats. The Center’s mission is: “education and youth development through promoting the understanding, appreciation and protection of aquatic life and habitats.” Mr Carr has been very involved with the aquarium, giving input on building layout as well as working to collect many of the animals on display. The day was a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn about different careers as well as see the success of someone who started their journey at Bloomsburg University.

For a little history, check out two articles authored by Jack Carr while he was at Bloomsburg.

Hranitz, J. M., T. S. Klinger, F. C. Hill, J. Carr, and T. Mencken. 1994. Abundance, size, sex ratios of adults, and size of toadlets for Bufo woodhousei fowleri Hinkley (Anura: Bufonidae) on Assateague Island and the adjacent Del-mar-va peninsula. Brimleyana 19, 65-75.

Thomas, K., J. Berry, J. Carr, C. Freeland, M. Siesko, and T. S. Klinger. 1995. Feeding of Echinometra lucunter (Linneaus) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) on plant and animal foods: perception and activity. Proceedings of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists 4, 44.

BASTL helps product selector reach for the skies

For almost as long as he can remember, Adam J. Campbell knew he wanted to fly. As he got older, he realized that the job he coveted with a major airline would require a bachelor’s degree as well as time in the cockpit. After earning his Professional Pilot associate degree from Lehigh Carbon Community College in 2015, Campbell started looking for a bachelor’s program. That’s when he learned about Bloomsburg University’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Leadership (BASTL) degree. In addition to accepting all his LCCC credits, the flexible program would allow him to continue amassing flight hours and to work part time at Wegmans Food Markets warehouse as a product selector, where he ensures that the correct orders are loaded on trucks headed to stores.

“I look at the BASTL program as beneficial, both in case I ever pursue a career outside aviation as well as giving me management skills that will help me if I become (an airline) captain at some point,’’ said Campbell, who earned his BASTL degree in December 2017. “As a captain, I’ll be the leader of the whole crew, and I think the skills I learned in the BASTL program will help me manage everyone on the plane more effectively.’’

The courses on project management also helped him at Wegmans, he said. “When I was in the program, there were alot of projects going on at Wegmans,’’ he said. “A lot of the project management classes and how to deal with management during stressful times was very helpful. I still refer to the project management books from class, and during the BASTL program we reallylearned how to set goals and get things done.’’ Campbell, who has a young daughter, Addilyn, with his girlfriend, Alyssa Hager, said that completing many of the BASTL courses online and taking the rest at LCCC allowed him to spend more time with his family.

Within the next 10 months – after an additional 1,000 hours of flight time – Campbell plans to fly with a regional airline or working as a certified flight instructor. Ultimately, he wants to fly freight for a major carrier. Campbell said that without the BASTL program, it’s possible he wouldn’t have earned his bachelor’s degree yet and wouldn’t be as close to realizing his dream. “I’ve already told a lot of people at work about the program, and to anyone thinking about it, I would say do it,’’ Campbell said. “It’s a great way to expand your career options.’’

After consulting with employers who are looking for skilled managers, Bloomsburg University created its Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Leadership program especially for individuals with associate degrees who are working and need flexibility. Up to 60 associate degree credits are accepted and half the BASTL classes are online and the rest taught at Bloomsburg’s partner institutions: Bucks County Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Northampton Community College and Reading Area Community College, and the State System campus in Center City Philadelphia.
 ~bloomsburgu.tumblr.com

BAHS Masters Student Presents Research

BAHS masters student Heather Llewellyn presented a poster at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Tampa, Florida on January 3 -7, 2019. Her research entitled, "Sublethal effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on cellular stress in honeybees," was conducted in collaboration with BAHS alumna Erin Smith (Biology, pre-medical sciences, 2018) and Drs. Surmacz and Hranitz.
Honeybees are important pollinators of a wide variety of crops and are experiencing global declines. The losses of honey bee populations have been linked to a disorder known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In this phenomenon, worker bees disappear from the colony, leaving the brood unattended. While there is no single cause of CCD, sublethal doses of pesticides cause physiological and behavioral changes that adversely affect hive health. Heather's work showed that bees exposed to sublethal doses of imidacloprid, a commonly used neonicotinioid pesticide, showed elevations in heat shock proteins and oxidative enzymes that are characteristic of cellular stress, Heather earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Lock Haven University. She received clinical training in Medical Laboratory Science and is employed in the laboratory at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, PA. Heather received a Professional Experience Grant to support her travel.
~from http://bloomsburgbiosynthesis.blogspot.com/

Dr Rier joins USDA workshop

Dr. Steven Rier, professor, Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, was one of ~30 researchers from across the U.S., Canada and Europe invited to participate in a workshop at Penn State University that examined the microbial determinants of phosphorus transport in stream ecosystems. The workshop will culminate in the publication of a review paper on the topic. The US Department of Agriculture supported the meeting. Dr. Rier's research group studies how phosphorous pulses that occur in streams during storm events regulate microbial activity and growth in the stream ecosystem. This work has many implications for how state and federal agencies manage phosphorous pollution.
 ~ from bloomsburgbiosynthesis.blogspot.com/

Inch to Give Talk on Open Source Intelligence and Doxing

Scott Inch, professor of mathematics and digital sciences, will speak about "OSINT and Doxing and Dorks, Oh My!" on Wednesday, March 20, at 6:30 p.m. in room 108, Hartline Science Center, Kuster Auditorium. Inch’s talk, part of the College of Science and Technology Dean’s Lecture Series, is free and open to the public.

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques are used by the government, hackers, and internet trolls to find publicly available information, typically on the internet. OSINT can be used for good, like searching for a video on how to fix a computer. But it can also be used for evil, like searching for the personal information of someone and releasing it online (doxing). This talk is a general introduction to the type of information that can be found online and the methods for finding it. Learning more about these techniques will also allow attendees to secure their own personal data more effectively.

Scott Inch, Ph.D., CCE, is an educator, digital forensics practitioner and subject matter expert. He has taught hundreds of students, law enforcement personnel, federal agents, corporate employees and private detectives to perform digital forensics analysis. He is a lifelong educator who was recently chosen from over 200 applicants as Pennsylvania Technology Educator of the Year by TechQuest. Dr. Inch has a broad range of expertise in many areas of digital forensics, including file systems, traditional hard disk forensics, mobile devices, and Ediscovery. He actively does both civil and criminal case work, submits expert reports, and has been declared an expert witness several times for court testimony in depositions, preliminary injunctions, and arbitration hearings. Dr. Inch has worked with a variety of forensics software vendors in various capacities. He was an instructor and developed curriculum for Paraben Corporation in the Level 3 course on GPS, call detail records and the cellular network. He has also worked with AccessData and Syntricate as an instructor for mobile forensics. In addition, he has had input into the improvement and development of forensics tools from a variety of vendors.

Dr. Hare-Harris named a Stephen J. Jones Professional U Fellow

Dr. Abby Hare-Harris, assistant professor, Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, was recently named as a Stephen J. Jones Professional U Faculty Fellow for the College of Science and Technology. In this role, Dr. Hare-Harris works with the Dean's office and college faculty to develop professional programming for CoST students. The events planned for this semester include everything from job fairs and professional field trips to research symposia and workshops. Dr. Hare-Harris has instituted departmental newsletters detailing upcoming professional engagement activities.

Dr. Hare-Harris earned a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology with a minor in biostatistics from Ursinus College and a Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular genetics from Rutgers University. She conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at Geisinger Health System's Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute. Her area of expertise is human and molecular genetics. Her research employs large genomic data sets and electronic health records to assess the clinical relevance of genetic variants. Dr. Hare-Harris has received a BU Research and Scholarship grant and has recently presented her work at the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. She actively involves both undergraduates and graduate students in her research. Dr. Hare-Harris is the co-advisor of Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society She has taught courses in bioinformatics, medical genomics, in addition to freshman seminar and anatomy and physiology laboratories.
~from http://bloomsburgbiosynthesis.blogspot.com