The Calvin Environmental Assessment Program (CEAP) Poster Session was an end-of-semester highlight for many years. In Fall 2020, the poster session was adapted to the COVID-19 context by moving online. As one of the few courses which produced research posters despite the pandemic, GEO 181 FYRES (First-Year Research in Earth Sciences) also became the host of the virtual poster session. 

The Virtual CEAP Poster Session was interactive from 3-11 December 2020. After the comment submission period ended, the posters and the comment threads continue to be viewable below. 

CEAP Posters

Poster Authors: Ben Adamson, Johnathan Cooper, Delaney Sall, Will Weiss

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Poster Abstract: The artificial Perseverance Dune and the surrounding area served as a unique location to study the movement of sand from an artificial dune. This study focused on analyzing the sand found on Perseverance Dune and comparing it to sand found in Prince parking lot and on a Lake Michigan dune so as to better understand the Perseverance Dune system. Using equipment such as a sieve, sand traps, a sand corer, microscopes, and magnets, our team was able to gain a better perspective on Perseverance Dune. It was determined that Perseverance Dune had a higher quartz content than the Lake Michigan dune, and a smaller grain size than the sand from Prince parking lot and the Lake Michigan dune. Our team also found that the depth of Perseverance Dune correlated with the location. We were also able to determine through multiple findings that sand is leaving the Perseverance Dune area.  

Poster Authors: Lillian Cooper, Nathanael Kastner, Sadie Norman, Henry Schenkel

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Poster Abstract: Perseverance Dune is an artificial dune on the campus of Calvin University. Since it was created in the summer of 2020, this is the first time the dune is experiencing autumn storms. Our study investigates how the characteristics of autumn storms influence erosion and surface characteristics on Perseverance Dune. We measured patterns of erosion on the dune surface with a grid of erosion pins. An array of anemometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges on the dune documented storm characteristics. The dune characteristics we measured were surface moisture content, surface temperature, and visual observations. We studied a total of two storms during the data collection period. Results show a significant difference of surface change from the start of a storm to the end of the storm. With this research we can better understand how much autumn storms affect inland sand dunes like Perseverance Dune.

Poster Authors: Lauren Grantham, Isaac Jeong, John Kelly, Lynda Steen

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Poster Abstract: Through careful experimental processes, we collected and analyzed data to determine how much the dune-dwelling plant, Calamovilfa longifolia, and the sand around it would be affected by human trampling. To begin our research, we planted the Calamovilfa in three designated plots and left the fourth one bare. The Calamovilfa in two of the plots were spaced out in rows that were equidistant from each other, and plants in the third plot were condensed into a small, dense patch. To gather the data on the effects of human trampling on the dune plants, we trampled the second plot of Calamovilfa just as pedestrians on a coastal dune would. Three times per week, the four people within our team made eight passes per person across the rows of plants within that plot. We gathered other information such as the sand temperature, plant height, and moisture content of the four plots using sand samples that we collected each time. Sand traps were also installed at the southern ends of our plots, and erosion pins at each corner so that we could observe the differences of the wind erosion in each of the plots.

Poster Authors: Michael MacGillivray, Derek McClure, Hailey Postma, Emma Tuit

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Poster Abstract: This study focuses on sediment transport and surface change on Perseverance Dune. The area of research was Perseverance Dune. The goals of this research project were to measure sand movement, wind and weather patterns, and analyze the results. Methods included erosion pins, sand samples, sand traps, and wind anemometers. Erosion pin data caught the largest changes during week one. The sand samples revealed a common decrease in moisture content over the three weeks. The sand trap data shows the most sand collection happened during week three. The wind anemometers revealed the prominent wind direction was SW and the fastest wind occurred in week three. This project is important to conclude the surface movement on Perseverance Dune.

Poster Authors: Julia Machiela, Noah Millen, Aubrey Rudy, Ethan Tulp

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Poster Abstract: This study investigates what coastal dune management strategies are used in Michigan and their effectiveness. We created a survey about dune management strategies, their effectiveness, and manager satisfaction with those strategies. We sent the survey to dune managers at state and national parks located on the dune coasts of Michigan. The dune managers of specific parks were contacted and received the survey via email. Responses were kept anonymous due to the requirements of the Institutional Review Board. Responses that were received were then analyzed for commonalities. Our data concluded that vegetation planting or removal and boardwalks are the most used dune management strategies. Self-assessing management results showed a lack of specialized education for managers. These findings are important as they help guide dune managers in managing dunes.