The Oka’ Institute is excited to announce the selection of five East Central University professors to conduct Summer Research projects for 2022. This is Oka’s sixth year of providing this opportunity.
The Oka’ Institute Summer Research program encourages water-related research at ECU. This year’s projects will support Oka’s mission of sustainability through science-based policies.
Dr. Randall Maples’ project, entitled “Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) Detection of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Groundwater,” will help determine the presence of CHCs in Arbuckle Simpson aquifer groundwater.
Jose Montalva’s project, entitled “Evaluating Different Compost Techniques to Improve the Quality of Soil at the ECU Community Garden,” will experiment with which composting techniques are the best to help make a more sustainable community.
Anne Yoncha’s project, entitled “Shape of the River”: the Communication of Scientific Information through Data Materialization,” will investigate the shape of the Blue River by its visible form and the condition and health of the ecological systems.
Dr. Christine Pappas’ project is a collaborative effort with Anne Yoncha’s, entitled “Evaluating the “Shape of the River”: Investigating Placement of a New Stream Gauge on the Blue River and the Communication of Scientific Information through Data Materialization,” which will help monitor the Blue River and provide new ways of data materialization.
Dr. David Thorton’s project, entitled “Understanding Stakeholders' Attitudes toward Water Resources in a Rural Environment,” will examine the concerns and attitudes of Stakeholders in Sulfur Springs and the Blue River.
Each project has at least one undergraduate student to help with the research. As part of the final report, the professors will present summaries of their work at Oka’s annual Sustainability Conference.
