Amelia Works on Plum Creek Samples

Hello, this is Amelia Lewis! This was my first semester in the lab and I worked with Monica Dix on the Plum Creek Study. This study is looking at seasonable variability in the short-lived radionucleotides of the sediment in Plum Creek in Oberlin, OH by sampling 4 sites along Plum Creek with different upstream land uses. 

I learned a lot about lab techniques and sampling techniques this semester. I went on sampling rounds and collected sediment from the channel bed. I also learned how to process the samples. I worked on wet sieving to separate the clay from the rest of the sample, as the clay has the largest surface area and is therefore what is tested. I learned how to take parameters of the samples and run Harbin, the machine that tests for the radionucleotides. The Plum Creek study ended this spring, so the next step is to get all the samples run and start sorting through the data. 

Here is one of the sites along Plum Creek that was sampled. 

This is another sample site along Plum Creek.

In the class also taught by Amanda Schmidt, Earth Surface Processes, I am working on continuing an investigation of Plum Creek. My final project for the class that I am working on with another research student, Sophie Maffie is re-surveying the locations for the Plum Creek study that were taken Spring 2017 and looking for changes between the locations over time. We also put in re-bar into the channel banks and the thalweg, or the fastest moving part of the river, in order to test if the river is incising and will measure the rates in the future. This data combined with the Plum Creek sediment samples will provide a good idea of what sorts of processes are occurring in this area. 

I’ve really enjoyed working in the lab this semester and am excited to continue next year! 

Thanks to everyone in the lab for a great semester!