Shoreline Research is Subject of Cazenovia College Student Presentation

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Lindsay Denhoff presented research at Syracuse conference

CAZENOVIA, NY (05/12/2010)(readMedia)-- Lindsay Denhoff, of Poland, N.Y., prepared and presented a research poster, "Fish Communities of Stoney Pond, Carpenter's Pond, and Cazenovia Lake, in Madison County, N.Y.," at the recent 20th Annual Great Lakes Research Consortium Conference in Syracuse, N.Y. Denhoff, a junior in Cazenovia College's Environmental Studies Program, collaborated with Thad Yorks, associate professor of environmental science; and John Livermore, assistant professor of mathematics at Cazenovia College to analyze the available data and produce her poster.

Denhoff used data from research done by environmental science students for the past four years in classes taught by Dr. Yorks, analyzing the size and percentages of fish species found in the littoral zone of the three bodies of water near Cazenovia College.

"I analyzed the relationship between fish weight and fish length for several species of fish found near the shorelines in each body of water," Denhoff says. "Then I created graphs showing this exponential relationship, which can be used to predict fish weight from fish length, or to assess the health of the fish in the lake by comparing the weight/length relationship to those expected for fish in our geographical area. I also created a profile of the percentages of each species of fish that are found in the littoral zone of each body of water."

Denhoff, who plans a career in conservation, says, "I plan to attend graduate school for wildlife conservation. I would ideally like to work with a conservation organization conducting research to help the conservation effort."

The Great Lakes Research Consortium (GLRC) is an organization of colleges and universities in New York, dedicated to collaborative research and education on the Great lakes. Although Cazenovia College is not a member of the consortium, any undergraduate or graduate student may submit research for presentation at the annual conference. Because the planned Northeastern Natural History Conference in Albany, N.Y. was cancelled, Yorks encouraged Denhoff to submit an abstract for consideration.

GLRC's 2010 conference brought together more than 130 students and faculty who shared presentations exploring invasive species, fish mortality, global warming, river ice processes, the toxic effect of pharmaceuticals, and the transport of contaminants by air, bird, fish or other sea life. More information on the Net: www.esf.edu/glrc.

Photo: Lindsay Denhoff presented a research poster, "Fish Communities of Stoney Pond, Carpenter's Pond, and Cazenovia Lake, in Madison County, N.Y.," at the recent 20th Annual Great Lakes Research Consortium Conference. Photo by Thad Yorks.

Cazenovia College, named one of "America's Best Colleges" by US News & World Report, is a small, independent, co-educational, baccalaureate college. Located near Syracuse, N.Y., Cazenovia College offers a comprehensive liberal arts education in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their professional fields. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

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