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In Mohawk Watershed Symposium, Abstracts and program

Abstract

The 15th Mohawk Watershed Symposium offers an exciting and diverse set of presentations on water quality, fisheries and habitats, flooding and resilience, and recreation and stewardship. The 2021-2026 Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda, our critical guiding document, focuses on conserving, preserving, and restoring the Mohawk River Watershed while helping to manage the ecosystem services for a sustainable future. Much of the defining discussion by stakeholders occurs at the annual Mohawk Watershed Symposium, and given this watershed blueprint, ongoing environmental change, and political headwinds, we see that the challenge ahead is enormous. Educational institutions and federal agencies - and many of our key stakeholders - are under threat. We need to ensure that science, engineering, and sound policy decisions guide our path forward. Now more than ever we need to redouble our efforts to advocate for clean water, fight the spread of invasive species, implement resilient flood mitigation projects, and understand how climate change has affected and will continue to affect almost everything in the watershed. The support of the DEC in this effort, and the partnership between the DEC and the Symposium, has made an enormous difference in fostering a sense of community and providing direction for watershed investigations. Additional support from Riverkeeper and the Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy is greatly appreciated, along with your attendance at this year’s Mohawk Watershed Symposium.

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Copyright Information: © 2025 Geosciences Department, Union College, Schenectady NY. All rights reserved. No part of the document can be copied and\/or redistributed, electronically or otherwise, without written permission from the Geosciences Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 12308, U.S.A.

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Geology Department, Union College

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In Alumni Files

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In President's Report

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DigitalDocument

In President's Report

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In Union College Permanent Collection

Abstract

masonry buildings of Princeton campus

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In Steinmetz Symposium

Abstract

Fluid flow over two-dimensional roughness elements was measured using volumetric particle image velocimetry. The roughness was immersed in a turbulent boundary layer, and two roughness configurations were considered: a single element, and two elements with the upstream element 0.75 times the height of the downstream element and separated by one element width. The Reynolds number of the flow was found to be ~66,000, based on the boundary layer thickness and freestream velocity. Time-averaged velocity, Reynolds shear stress, and turbulent kinetic energy profiles were considered for each arrangement in order to compare with previous planar particle image velocimetry measurements. Agreement with the planar measurements was achieved, supporting the calibration of the volumetric particle image velocimetry system and suggesting that measurements made further from the center plane would accurately describe the flow. The flow over the elements was found to be highly three-dimensional, supporting the need for the volumetric measurements. Time-resolved measurements of the system were also made to better view the vortices being shed by the elements and their interaction. Vortices were identified using multiple vortex identification methodsand observed forming at the rear of the elements and travelling downstream. The frequency of this vortex shedding was analyzed to determine the Strouhal number.

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In Steinmetz Symposium

Abstract

SAE Aero Lift is an intercollegiate competition where mechanical, electrical engineering, and computer science students from Union College design and build a remote controlled and autonomous aircraft system to meet specified mission objectives and then compete with their design against engineering students from around the world. The objective of the Micro Class is to design a RC airplane that carries maximal payload with minimal vehicle weight. The plane must also packable into a 12" by 3.5" by 13.5" box, and be able to be assembled to loaded, flight ready, status in fewer than 2 minutes from unboxing. This year's Micro Event team was led by junior students, and involved several sophomores and first year students as well. The Micro event team had intended to travel to Fort Worth, Texas for competition during the first week of April, 2020. Our presentation will consist of an overview of our design and build of the aircraft.

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In Honors Theses

Abstract

Volumetric particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to experimentally study the effects of localized blowing on the turbulent boundary layer over two-dimensional <em>k</em>-type roughness. The experiments were performed at a Reynolds number of 100,000, based on the boundary layer thickness and the freestream velocity. Flow measurements were performed at a channel flow rate of 1 m/s for 5 cases, including a baseline no-injection case. The additional four cases included localized blowing through five small spanwise jets considered at two rates and two injection locations. Flow organization was found to be maintained across all five cases due to the relatively low volumetric flow rate of the jets: below 0.12% of the overall flow rate. Localized blowing was found to alter the time-averaged streamwise velocity, boundary layer characteristics, Reynolds shear stress, turbulent kinetic energy, and flow vortical structures. Volumetric measurements were able to capture spanwise variations of up to 18% in reattachment length and other spanwise variations in the flow quantities listed above. The volumetric measurements also enabled the visualization of flow coherent structures, including the counter-rotating vortex pair occurring between each adjacent jet.

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Thesis

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In Honors Theses

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American identity is just as evocative as it is evasive in American culture. It means something distinct to each American yet binds individuals together as a nation. Its potential to be abstract does not diminish its power as a reality of American life. The story of America is important to our survival as a nation, and calling on identity has incredible potential to compel citizens to action. In this thesis, I explore the development of American national identity both as it grew naturally and was intentionally crafted by political and cultural authorities. More broadly I consider how political and cultural authorities called upon identity in each era I explore, and how these articulations informed identity going forward. In the analytical framework as proposed by Abdelal, I consider the content of identity throughout the most formative eras of American history and the degree to which it was contested. I employ an organizing framework of analysis by considering five theories of identity, which each fluctuate in prominence in each era, and which exist in varying degrees of concert and competition. The five theories are as follows: liberalism, civic republicanism, ethnocentrism, incorporationism, and progressivism. The thesis concludes with a consideration of American identity in the 21st century and beyond.

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Nancy Drew, America’s beloved girl sleuth, appeared on the American literary scene in 1930 with her blue roadster, fashionable clothes, and companion desires for adventure and charity – complete with Übermenschen capabilities, intelligence, feistiness, and beauty to spare. One of the last creations of literary giant Edward Stratemeyer and his Stratemeyer Syndicate, Nancy Drew was first written by Iowa journalist and Syndicate author Mildred Augustine Wirt. Nancy’s creation story is explored in part through the Stratemeyer Syndicate Records, where old letters and releases detail Nancy’s origins and creation, as well as the true identities of the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, the authorial signature listed on all the Nancy Drew books. Wirt laid revolutionary foundations in Nancy Drew, establishing her as a girl who wanted to live her life, pursue her own pleasures, and never let marriage or insecurity get in her way – a stark contrast with previously-published books, where domestic sensibilities and feminine constructs inveigled girls into believing that a solely domestic life was the only acceptable option. Nancy Drew was born into the world of and epitomized the “New Woman” of the twentieth century, inspiring her readers to likewise follow their passions and become “New Women.” After the death of Edward Stratemeyer in 1930, soon after Nancy’s debut, Wirt and Nancy Drew’s second author, Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, collaborated to continue Nancy’s adventures. After writing twenty-three of the first thirty stories, Wirt’s last Nancy Drew book appeared in 1948 (The Ghost of Blackwood Hall, #25). Nancy’s watershed qualities were toned down beginning in 1959, when the earlier Nancy Drew Mystery Stories underwent revisions: the stories were shortened, racist and racy aspects were edited out, and Wirt’s Nancy was “feminized” to be much more sweet and docile and less headstrong and autonomous. These revisions were ordered and carried out almost exclusively by Adams, Edward Stratemeyer’s daughter and one of the owners of the Syndicate after his death. While the differences between the original 1930 Nancy and the revised 1959 Nancy have been noted by scholars, case studies of the original and revised texts have never been done before. This thesis contains in-depth case studies of Nancy Drew’s first two adventures, The Secret of the Old Clock and The Hidden Staircase; the findings corroborate the claims of scholars, providing examples and analyses of these differences. The psychology of girlhood consists of (among many things) the constant negotiation of a girl’s identity between societal demands for femininity and a desire to pursue her own pleasures; later, it is also tinged by a struggle between childhood and adulthood. In Nancy Drew, these conflicts of identity are always successfully reconciled through Nancy’s absolute self-possession and constant struggle with (and forever success in) achieving life fulfillment. This is the Nancy Drew archetype; the archetype and the elements that constructed it have ensured not only the existence and success of Nancy Drew, but has also made contemporary girls’ literature of today possible. Today, the archetype appears in several characters of contemporary girls’ literature, including Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games), Samantha Parkington (The American Girls Collection), and Princess Cimorene of Linderwall (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles): these female protagonists are Nancy Drew’s daughters.

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In Honors Theses

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Scholars have presented several arguments classifying the utility of political machines. I examine three specific machines, attempting to classify them into schools advanced by scholars, while focusing primarily on O’Connell’s Albany Machine. I decided to examine the Tweed and Daley Machines to provide context for my study of O’Connell’s Machine. I chose these three political machines to serve as case studies as all have a distinct characteristic in common: an autocratic leader. The first school asserts that political machines were irredeemably corrupt while a second acknowledges this corruption but believes that the services provided mitigated any corruption. A third and fourth school, respectively, challenge the power and autonomy of machine bosses. Utilizing the bosses of these respective machines as a vehicle to examine the three machines selected, I analyzed both primary and secondary sources. I found that the O’Connell machine fit firmly into the first school as advocated by scholars. I assert that the O’Connell Machine was undeniably corrupt. In an effort to remain in power, the machine denied its citizens many rights and benefits, without providing services. Schools three and four can be rejected as O’Connell exerted independent personal control of his machine and Albany politics for more than five decades.

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Thesis

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In Honors Theses

Abstract

Women's participation in politics in France and the US is a complex topic about which there is still much confusion and stereotyping. Throughout recent in both these countries, women have fought for equal representation and opportunity, not always achieving their desired goals. Although their histories differ in many ways, culturally and socially, there are substantial similarities, an exploration of which can help to understand the current situation of women in politics. On the whole, women remain less represented in the political sphere than men, however, this does not often stem from their lack of voter support. Instead, there are a few recurrent barriers presented to women. Women often lack a personal ambition to enter politics, the masculine domination in the political parties can prevent their ascension to higher levels, the political and electoral systems have innate barriers to women's success and there still exist some cultural stereotypes which sometimes inhibit their success in elections. By using an understanding of these barriers in both systems, it is then necessary to explore some real life examples of women who have persevered through these systems. Through the political experiences of Hillary Clinton and Segolene Royal, these barriers become apparent as well as the possibility of overcoming them and achieving success. Although women are presented with many barriers to political success, through other female support and determination, women will be able to gain greater participation and success in politics.

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Thesis

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In Honors Theses

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This thesis investigates the factors that helped Americans come to a vote choice in the 2008 presidential election. After an in-depth analysis and presentation on the existing literature, I then present key moments in both McCain and Obama's campaigns looking at the context, campaigns, and candidates. I then break down the turnout and vote choice of each major social group and demographic in the United States, juxtaposing it with the group's historical voting trends and turnout. In 2008 there was a large nationwide Democratic shift. Chapter four seeks to defend whether it was the context of the election or the campaigns of the candidates that mattered most in the vote decision process. After arriving presenting the evidence, I concluded that it was impossible to isolate the effects of the contexts and the campaigns. Nevertheless, this paper investigates all that matters during a presidential election.

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Thesis

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In Honors Theses

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Union has participated in the annual SAE Aero Competition for the last 6 consecutive years. The aim of the competition involves the design and construction of an RC aircraft capable of carrying a maximum payload weight as consistently as possible. This report will summarize the methods used to determine shape and size of the final aircraft's control surfaces, as well as include an analysis on the plane's performance characteristics. The final design utilizes a 100 inch span main wing with a rear taper and an upright H-tail design. In addition, the horizontal tail has a stabilator in place of a horizontal stabilizer with elevators. This configuration was found to minimize the effects of drag and maximize performance at the anticipated Reynolds Number the plane will be flying at. Previous design iterations were proven to be inefficient after the completion of a to-scale working prototype in the middle of the project's design process. A theoretical estimate of this plane's maximum takeoff weight was calculated to be around 30 lbs., taking into account a 200 ft. runway with the effects of variable thrust and drag. The plane will be competing April 11-13, 2014 in Marietta, GA.

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Thesis

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My Senior Project examines the parallelism between the movement to bring baseball to Quebec and the Quebec secession movement in Canada. Through my research I have found that both entities follow a very similar timeline with highs and lows coming around the same time in the same province; although, I have not found any direct linkage between the two. My analysis begins around 1837 and continues through present day, and by analyzing the histories of each movement demonstrates clearly that both movements followed a unique and similar timeline.
The project is separated into six chapters, each containing three parts, including an introduction (which contains a literary review) and a conclusion. The full development of my project begins in Chapter Two, which talks about the origins of each movement. I discuss the origins and early history of baseball in Quebec and Canada, and the first signs of French Canadian nationalism, beginning with the Canada Rebellions of 1837-1838 up to the creation of the Mouvement Souverainete Association in 1957.

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Thesis

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In Mohawk Watershed Symposium, Abstracts and program

Abstract

The 14th Mohawk Watershed Symposium offers an exciting and diverse set of presentations on water quality, fisheries and habitats, flooding and resilience, and recreation and stewardship. The 2021-2026 Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda, our critical guiding document, focuses on conserving, preserving, and restoring the Mohawk River Watershed while helping to manage the ecosystem services for a sustainable future. Much of the defining discussion by stakeholders occurs at the annual Mohawk Watershed Symposium, and given this watershed blueprint and ongoing environmental change, we see that the challenge ahead is enormous.

We are experiencing a firehose of environmental change. This last year (2023) was globally the warmest year on record. Winter in the Mohawk Watershed and in the Northeast US was also the warmest on record. The Great Lakes - a source of moisture to the Mohawk Watershed - have the lowest levels of ice cover ever recorded, which affects lake-effect precipitation. The North Atlantic - another source of moisture for the Watershed - is warming remarkably quickly. The Northeast has experienced the largest increase in extreme precipitation in the nation.

There are important warning signs that we may be at a key inflection point. Changes have already occurred in the Watershed, and there is widespread recognition by the public that a response is needed. We as stakeholders need to understand quickly how these changes manifest themselves in the Watershed, and we also need to develop and implement strategies to build resilience and adaptation. The firehose of change affects water quality and drinking water, fisheries, flooding, and infrastructure. If we layer on problems with our aging pipes, bridges, and dams, it is not hard to see that the problems are acute. If we proceed at a business-as-usual pace, we will fail. A critical question is how we respond to these changes and how fast we can respond. Key players in all of this are the stakeholders in the basin who can direct and shape the response.

Flooding remains a central concern of many stakeholders. Flood dynamics are changing in a significant way due to warmer winters and an increase in extreme weather events. The release of the Upstate NY Flood Mitigation task force report in July 2023 was welcome because it illuminated the flood hazard and mitigation options here in the Mohawk Watershed and in the adjacent Oswego Watershed. One thing this report did was highlight the vulnerability of our infrastructure to damaging floods. The report stressed the need for a numerical watershed model for the Mohawk, which will be critically important for understanding flood events and how the channels and floodplains are modified by extreme weather events. The task force report also highlighted the need to address sedimentation in the main stem that is driven by erosion in tributaries; this will be a major challenge.

Water quality remains a central issue in the Watershed. and a large number of stakeholders are focused on improving water quality. For a healthy and vibrant ecosystem and the ecosystem services that the River provides, we need clean water, including drinking water. Fortunately, the quality of drinking water in the Watershed is receiving more and more scrutiny due to legislation associated with the EPA Lead and Copper Rule, lead-testing in schools, and PFAS testing.

Road salt is causing considerable damage to our aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supplies. In September 2023 the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force released its long-awaited report on assessment and recommendations for salt reduction in the Adirondacks. There is hope that this report will pave the way for a statewide approach to reducing salt, because, as the report shows, the most severe problems are outside the Blue Line, and this is especially true in urban areas in the Mohawk Watershed. A critical piece of the task force report is a much-needed discussion of the regulatory standard for chloride in surface waters.

Our understanding of aquatic organisms and pollution has advanced in remarkable ways in part due to the ability to identify genetic material in water. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is being used to track invasive species that are accessing the Mohawk Watershed through the Erie Canal, and to understand how dams are keeping some native migratory fish from accessing the Watershed. Water-quality monitoring benefits from dramatic reduction in cost, and in addition the source of bacteria in polluted waters can be pinpointed using host-specific genetic markers in water samples (qPCR) using Microbial Source tracking (MST). Molecular methods are also being coupled with nutrient sampling to explore microbial populations in the Mohawk and the potential for formation of toxic algal blooms. Therefore we are at a point where we are addressing old problems with new analytical tools, and addressing new problems with those same tools.

A major concern are threats to ecosystem integrity in the Mohawk Watershed from aquatic invasive species (AIS). As we have seen in the past few years, the invasive pressure is primarily west to east, and mainly along the Erie Canal Corridor. We have watched the stunning success of the Round Goby, which entered the Mohawk and worked its way into the Hudson River. With such a high density of invasive species in the Great Lakes due to dumping of ballast water, there is pressure to stem the flow of AIS that are entering the Hudson-Mohawk from the west. This is complicated and difficult, and involves multiple levels of stakeholder engagement.

Hopefully we are entering a new era of increased communication and stakeholder engagement in the Mohawk Watershed. Stewardship and education at the community level are a critical piece of effective watershed management. Youth education programs centered on water quality and ecosystem health ensure that all our waterways pass into the hands of the next generation with active, engaged, and knowledgeable stewards in place.

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DigitalDocument

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In Copyright

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Copyright Information: © 2024 Geosciences Department, Union College, Schenectady NY. All rights reserved. No part of the document can be copied and/or redistributed, electronically or otherwise, without written permission from the Geosciences Department, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 12308, U.S.A.

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Geology Department, Union College

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In Alumni Files

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DigitalDocument

In Alumni Files

Type of Resource

DigitalDocument

In Alumni Files

Type of Resource

DigitalDocument

In Alumni Files

Type of Resource

DigitalDocument

In Alumni Files

Type of Resource

DigitalDocument

In Alumni Files

Type of Resource

DigitalDocument

In Alumni Files

Type of Resource

DigitalDocument

In Mohawk Watershed Symposium, Abstracts and program

Abstract

This abstract volume contains the program and extended abstracts for 39 presentations at the Annual Mohawk Watershed Symposium. The focus this year is on water quality.This is the 9th annual Mohawk Watershed Symposium and over the years the meeting has taken on an important role in unifying and galvanizing stakeholders in the Basin. Building and sustaining a coalition of concerned and invested stakeholders allow us to be informed about important issues that affect water quality, recreation opportunities, and other developments in the basin. This was a big year in the Watershed with a number of exciting and interesting developments. The NYS Canal System was designated a National Historic Landmark and this designation places the currently operating canal system among the premier historic sites in the United States. In addition, this year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Canal, it is important to think about how the canal has affected NY State and the watershed. Earlier in 2016, the Erie Canal, which is a big part of the State Canal Corp, was taken over by the NY Power Authority (NYPA). Since 1992 it was under the Thruway Authority, and this new transfer is certainly an interesting development as the Canal struggles with costs, some of which are a hangover from Irene in 2011. This last summer was a pretty dry, and drought and near drought conditions affected much of the basin. In the early part of summer 2016, the Canal Corporation directed the NYPA to reduce releases from Hinckley Reservoir according to the 2012 Operating Diagram. The newly completed Mohawk Valley Gateway Overlook Bridge in Amsterdam was funded through the 2005 Rebuild and Renew New York Transportation Bond, and this development is part of an effort to look to the River for economic and cultural transformation in river-lining cities on the Mohawk. Water contamination, brownfields, and water quality are intricately intertwined. PCBs, PFOS and PFOA, Pb, microplastics, and other toxins in our environment and our drinking water dominated this past year's headlines. Locally we are making progress: Schenectady had one of the more contaminated brownfields in the basin, and the important remediation effort allowed this river-lining property to be developed into the new Rivers Casino, which opened in February of 2017. This is an important lesson in cleaning brownfields, and development of urban areas in communities that are along the River. Our infrastructure needs attention because its failure is affecting water quality. One of the sad stories of the past year is the sewage leak in Amsterdam where millions of gallons of raw sewage has dumped into the Mohawk. Discovered in July 2016, the spill continues (March 2017), and this has become symbolic of the struggle to fix our aging infrastructure and its impact on water quality in the Basin. Amsterdam will receive millions from the state Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and loans from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Some positive news from the upper part of the watershed as money and work has gone into improving the sewage system in Utica / Oneida county. Once done, the project will reduce the amount of sewage that flows into the Mohawk River by reducing the reliance on Combined Sanitary and Sewer outfalls. There is hope that our aging infrastructure, and thus water quality, is being addressed at the State and Federal level. The Water Infrastructure Improvements act passed the U.S. House of Representatives and was subsequently signed by President Obama. The bill included Representative Tonko's AQUA Act and legislation updating the Safe Drinking Water Act. There has been considerable activity in the State, one highlight was the recent introduction of the Safe Water Infrastructure Action Program (SWAP) bill (S.3292/A.3907) introduced by Senator Tedisco and Assemblyman Steck in February 2017, which is designed to fund and maintain our local infrastructure including water, sewer, and storm water. We are making progress in the Mohawk Watershed, and the Symposium will highlight much of the new and exciting work that has happened over the last year. We are seeing money flow in the basin to address watershed science and education, and some of that money has gone directly to water quality studies. The NY Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) awarded more than $155,000 in Mohawk River Basin Program grants for four projects in the Mohawk River Basin Watershed. Results from these four projects will be presented this year as part of the invited presentations at the 2017 Symposium. We are indebted to our sponsors NYSDEC for their continued support, which helps to make each Symposium a success. We appreciate support from Cornell and from the Union College Geology Department. This year we have 39 presentations to shape the discussion and dialog. Some of these presentations are a direct result of funding from the new grants program at the NYSDEC that is aimed at fostering the five items on the Mohawk Basin Action agenda. We continue to see new ideas, many of them presented by students from a number of different educational institutions, this growth in student participation is both exciting, and a welcome sign of continued progress. By the end of the day, the Mohawk Watershed Symposium series will have been the forum for 281 talks, posters, and special presentations since inception in 2009.

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DigitalDocument

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In Copyright

Controlled Access Terms