BEES Seminar: Steve Mason & Danielle Moyer

Thursday, June 8, 2017

3:30 PM-4:50 PM

Steve Mason and Danielle Moyer, BEES graduate student

Steve Mason, BEES graduate student

“The New Hot Topic in Entomology: Fire!”

My research focuses on fire as a driver in structuring insect communities. Fires normally have a negative reputation among the general public because they take lives and destroy property. However, fire is a natural process that has shaped our world. The study of fire and insects is a small but growing field with different subspecialties. I will discuss my first thesis chapter, a review of the “pyroentomology” literature, noting the strengths and weaknesses while briefly discussing what I plan on doing to advance this field in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

Danielle Moyer, BEES graduate student

"Monitoring Yellowstone: A Volcanologist's guide to Understanding the U.S.' Favorite Supervolcano"

Yellowstone has been a point of interest for tourists and scientists alike since the caldera was first discovered. Considered one of the first national parks established in the world, the Yellowstone caldera is home to a wide range of wildlife and one of the most famous geothermal systems in the Northwest. While known for it's breathtaking geyser eruptions, Yellowstone is much more than a simple tourist trap. The hotspot produced three major superuptions with a VEI of 8 during the past 2.1 million years and continues to show activity to this day. Due to its explosive past, Yellowstone has been heavily monitored using a wide range of techniques in an attempt to understand the inner workings of the volcanic system. I will present preliminary data from my current research in monitoring the gas emissions from the various geysers and mud volcanoes via Open-Path Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, its importance in understanding the greater volcanic system, and discuss my future goals in working in Yellowstone this upcoming summer field campaign.