Jaime
Garrand '00 saw lots of mud in Prof. Don Rodbell's “Lakes and
Environmental Change.”
There, in the layers of sediment taken from the bottoms
of a number of area lakes, she saw a detailed record of climatic change.
With the encouragement of Rodbell and Prof. Steve Rice
of biology, she launched a multi-year research project in which she
investigated climatic change as evidenced by the types of pollen found in
layers of lake sediment.
She will present her research, “The Sedimentologic
and Palynologic Record of the last Deglaciation from Ballston Lake,”
on Friday afternoon in the 10th annual Steinmetz Symposium. Garrand will
be joined by about 200 other students in the annual exposition of student
research and creative achievement.
Garrand found pollen grains from coniferous trees about
11,000 years ago, which would suggest a cooler climate, she says. But in
the layers of sediment 1,000 years later, there was an extreme drop in
boreal vegetation and an increase in hardwoods, an indicator of a warmer
climate. The last 2,000 years shows a cooler climate with more pollen of
coniferous trees.
Garrand studied the pollen from the lake samples with
paleobotanist Norton Miller of the New York State Museum, an authority in
the field, spending about 40 hours per week there in the summer, and 15
hours per week since last fall.
Garrand, a native of Orange, Conn., will attend the
University of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff to pursue a master's in
quaternary studies. Ultimately, she says, she wants to earn a Ph.D. to
teach and do research at the college level.
The Steinmetz Symposium, Prize Day and related events
are part of a special Parents' Weekend dedicated to the recognition of
student achievement.
Times and locations of Steinmetz and other sessions are
listed on this page and on the College's Web site:
http://steinmetz2000.union.edu/sessions-list.htm