Florida Gulf Coast University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Student Matthew Hale with mentor Molly Nation studied Impacts of Sustainable Attitudes on Personal Action

Views on Climate Change Between First-Generation and Non-First-Generation
College Students, Samuel Sherman, Faculty Mentor: Molly Nation

Qualitative Assessment of Student Basic Needs Security at Florida Gulf Coast
University: Notes from the Field
Linda Mazanet, Michael Hintz, & Ahilimis Martos Gato, Faculty Mentor: Max Stein



Professor Mary Voytek's environmental art students turn hazardous glaze wastes into inert stepping stones that are used in the Food Forest and other areas on campus. In Spring 2019, they designed a series of stepping stones to create and install a bricked entrance to the Food Forest.

Mary Voytek's Environmental Art (ART 3840) students put on a "Runway Earth: Fashions for a Sustainable Planet" show each spring for Eagle's Earth Day. The show features clothes made from recyclable, natural or industrial materials. The students write an educational script that the emcee reads for the audience as the students model their fashion.

Student Farah Alkhadra with faculty mentor John Losciuto conducted project title: Student Success using Permanent Collection of Art Migration. This project provided the ability to utilize the university’s permanent collection as the source material for continued original research and digital archiving, and that can result in public exhibitions of selected works providing access and inclusivity.

Student Morgan Kirk with mentor John Straussberger. Project title: Oral Histories of Hurricane Irma. The goal of this work was to collect a series of oral histories of Hurricane Irma that accurately reflects the range of experiences of this disaster. Local government officials, nonprofit organizations and community activists will be queried about the preparation for the hurricane, the experience during the event, and the post-disaster responses. This relates to sustainability by creating resilient communities.

Students Savannah DeBarr and Victoria Fields with mentor Edwin Everham.
Research Title: Sixteen Years of the Southwest Florida Frog Monitoring Network. Changes in frog populations and communities may provide opportunities to detect the environmental implications of altered hydroperiods and landscape changes in our watershed, regional and global climate alterations, and possibly the positive responses to restoration efforts. 4 of 11 testing sites were in the FGCU campus area.

Fungus In The Air and Everywhere
Savannah Walter & Alexandra Ruiz, Faculty Mentor: Clifford Renk

Sick Building Syndrome: A Comparison of Fungal Air Samples at Florida Gulf
Coast University Sahira Aguilar-Ramirez, Faculty Mentor: Clifford Renk

2019 Student Research Title: Air Samples of FGCU's Buildings for Fungal Activity
Student Author: Alex Timmons, Biology (B.A.)
Faculty Mentor: Clifford Renk, Biological Sciences
Abstract: Air quality indoors is one of the most important environmental factors that impact health. Americans on average spend between 80 to 90% of their time indoors (EPA 1997). Exposure to microorganisms in the air can cause serious health issues such as allergies or diseases. Everyday people breathe in thousands of fungal spores usually without any negative effects on their health. However about 10% of Americans have allergies to certain types of mold (Portnoy & Jara). Fungi reproduce using spores, which are microscopic structures (3-40 microns) that can be spread through currents of air. Air sampling can be used to estimate the amount of spores in the air. If there are more spores outdoors than indoors, then the spores are likely being carried inside through open doors or windows. If there are more spores indoors than outdoors then there is likely mold growing inside the building. Air samples were taken in eight different buildings at FGCU to measure the amount of fungal activity in the air. The air samples taken from older buildings did not grow more fungal colonies then the samples from newer
buildings. The buildings with the most foot traffic also had the most colonies.

Sick Building Syndrome: A Comparison of Fungal Air Samples at Florida Gulf
Coast University Sahira Aguilar-Ramirez, Faculty Mentor: Clifford Renk

Piloting of a Hybrid Continuous, Live, Virtual, and Traditional Energy Audit Methodology
Student Author Courtney Gammon with Faculty Sponsor Dr. Komisar

Research Title: Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus
Student Authors: Amy He, Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E.); Alisha Perez, Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.); Maximilian Honigfort, Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.); Kaylei Kambak, Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E.)
Faculty Mentors: Seneshaw Tsegaye, Environmental and Civil Engineering; Tanya Kunberger, Environmental and Civil Engineering
Abstract: This project aims to provide a life cycle analysis of a closed-loop system that offers a way to dispose of organic wastes and retrieve water for irrigation, nutrients to grow plants and methane gas that can be used for energy generation. This system is driven by microbial processes, and through its optimization, it provides both a sustainable and economical method of waste disposal. The system has three main components, biodigester, water filtration, and plant growth. The biodigester is fed by liquid, solid and food waste. These wastes will provide the microbes a source of food and energy to produce biogas. These biogases are storage and collected in the biogas storage tank. The biogas is analysis to see the relationship between the amount of waste with the amount of biogas production. The liquid waste is filtered through a slow sand filtration to filter out any undesirable particles. A water quality test is being done to test for the TN, TP, TSS, pH, and temperature. The recycled water is used for the
hydroponic system to provide nutrients to the plants. The data for the chlorophyll will be collected and compare with the control and the plant from the hydroponic system. Solar panels will be installed to provide electricity for the pumps and the food grinder. The energy that is provided and used from the
solar panel will be collected to be discussed in the LCA.

As part of the MSE (Master of Science of Engineering), the ‘Project’ class has students conduction renewable energy and environmental research project.
Here is a list of Project with renewable energy connection performed in classes:
(PV = photovoltaics)
•SW Florida Backyard Aquaponics System including feasibility for powering via PV renewable
•Economics of Brackish RO Water Treatment including energy efficiency
•Energy Audit of FGCU's ETI
•Design of PV Powered Biogas System
•Investigation of PV for Water Pumping
•Drone study of Microclimate Variability of Large Solar PV Fields (using FGCU field)
•Study to utilize Amazon Cloud services for storage and dissemination of PV performance data

Student Internship Title: South Village Garden: Bringing Organic, Local Food to FGCU Dining
Student Author: Ray Baldwin, Environmental Studies (B.A.)
Faculty Mentors: Carol Kennedy, Environmental Health & Safety
Abstract: Beginning in the Summer of 2019, I began my internship at the South Village Garden with my mentor, Carol Kennedy. Carol and I worked as a team to maintain the raised beds while providing the South Village Residential Student Dining with fresh herbs and teaching visitors about the garden. As an intern, large part of my job was to sow seeds, water, and document actions, observations, and environmental data. This internship allowed me to gain hours on hands-on experience outdoors with people who have an environmental background, as well as those without, like chefs and new students.
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Instructor Jessica Phillips has led select sections of her University Colloquium students (IDS 3920) in completing a Weigh the Waste Project in our SoVi Dining hall for the past few years.

Colloquium have also created educational materials for the FGCU's Farmers Market which provided customers with recipes and ideas for healthy eating as well as information regarding what food at the market would meet the Real Food Challenge's criteria for sustainable foods.

A group of students in their Capstone in Community Health (HSC 4910) course worked with FGCU Dining and Environmental Health & Safety to promote the health and ecological benefits of plant-based diets in Howard Hall during the Fall 2016 semester. Howard Hall was renovated and vegan and vegetarian menu options were expanded during the summer before their project began. For their project, they disseminated a pre-campaign survey asking about food preferences and factors influencing food choices. They also observed dining patrons and reviewed sales records illustrating the popularity of meat vs. vegetarian menu items. Next, they developed and distributed educational materials showing the benefits of plant-based diets. Finally, they repeated the first step to see if and how dining hall patrons food choices had changed as a result of their educational campaign. They found that stated preference for vegetarian menu items increased and stated preference for meat-based menu items decreased as a result of their outreach campaign in their post-survey.

Students in Diana Schultz's biological sciences course conducted a permaculture study to isolate Corynespora cassiicola (Cc) present in papaya (Carica papaya) in the campus Food Forest, characterize them, and compare them with Cc isolates present in Argentina.

Student Marshall Nathanson in Environmental Studies examined the diversity of pollinators interacting with polyculture orchards in Lee County and Broward County, Florida. Pollinator plant interactions are potentially relevant for fruit production in Florida and other subtropical and tropical zones. Results of the study were used to promote and encourage bolstering of aggro-ecological conditions within preexisting orchards.

Research Title: Assessing Carbon Sequestration Potential and Economic Value of Forested Landscapes at Florida Gulf Coast University
Student Author: Kiah St.Onge-Yergi
Faculty Mentor: Brian Bovard
Abstract: As Earth's climate changes and natural resources are depleted, it is imperative to sustainably manage natural resources and protect the ecosystem services they provide. Placing an economic value on ecosystem services is one mechanism to leverage their conservation. Carbon credits offer a way to place a monetary value on the atmospheric carbon stored by forested areas. This study assesses the economic potential of natural areas on FGCU's property based on the annual carbon storage potential of five different ecosystems. Ecosystems included were cypress swamps, pine flatwoods, freshwater marshes, hardwood hammocks, and sloughs. Aerial coverage of each habitat type on the FGCU campus was measured using handheld GPS units and GIS. Carbon storage rates for each habitat type were based on literature values. Storage capacity of each ecosystem was computed as: tC ha-1 yr-1 * ha habitat = tC yr -1. Economic values of carbon were attained using the California Market and European Market values from 2017 to 2019. Values were averaged to determine a low of $11 per tCO_2 and a high of $17 per tCO_2 and applied to each community. Based on our data the cypress swamp habitat was found most valuable at $17,653 to $11,509 per year.


Student Research Title: Will Cypress Trees on the FGCU Campus Produce False Growth Rings for the Current Growing Season?
Student Author:Sofia Sciancalepore, Environmental Studies (B.A.)
Faculty Mentors: Brenda Thomas, University Colloquium; Brian Bovard, Ecology & Environmental Studies;
Abstract: Taxodium distichum, or bald cypress, is a tree commonly found in wetland habitats throughout Southwest Florida. Bald cypress trees often produce false growth rings, making them difficult to use in dendrochronological research. These rings are considered "false" because they do not indicate annual growth patterns for the that tree. Although the development of false rings is common among this tree species, the reason for their onset is still unknown. For this project, micro-cores were collected monthly from five bald cypress trees on the FGCU campus. The samples were collected using a Haglöf increment hammer before being brought back to the laboratory where they were mounted, dried, and sanded for analysis. Micro-cores were examined for indications of false ring development as well as to identify differences in growth on the north and south side of same tree. Results are expected to indicate that increased rainfall in a given month will lead to the presence of inconsistent growth, and potentially false rings, on both sides of a sampled cypress tree. Understanding what causes these rings to occur would help researchers understand the growth patterns of this species, potentially leading to their use indendrochronological research in Southwest Florida swamps.
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Student Research Title: Seasonal environmental effects on habitat preferences of small mammal communities at Florida Gulf Coast University
Student Author: Kylie Henslick, Environmental Studies (B.A.)
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Metcalf, Biological Sciences
Abstract: Small mammals serve important ecological roles such as consumers of plants and microfauna, major food sources for predator species, and they facilitate the dispersal of seeds and diseases. We captured small mammals at six sample sites on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus in Fort Myers, Florida. Sample sites include two cypress domes, two wet prairies, and two pine flatwoods. We evaluated the effects of temperature, humidity, and rain events by sample site to determine the responses of small mammal populations to environmental changes. Over the course of this study (January 2019 to present), four species of small mammals (Sigmodon hispidus, Oryzomys palustris, Peromyscus gossypinus, Peromyscus maniculatus) were observed. By better understanding the health of our local indicator species, we can better maintain and manage our natural and urban areas. Results formulated from the data collected may have logistical impacts on campus development and surrounding communities in the future. Further implications of this data may affect research on local predator species of concern such as birds of prey and snake species.
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Student Research Title: Examination of the Effectiveness of Burial Method of Propagation on American Beautyberry
Student Author: Ray Baldwin, Environmental Studies (B.A.)
Faculty Mentor: Anna Goebel, Biological Sciences
Abstract: A previously untested propagation technique was explored for use in propagating the American Beautyberry via cuttings, in order to improve the rate of cutting survival among woodystemmed plants. One hundred and six cuttings were collected from 14 wild population American Beautyberry plants, from three different Florida locations: Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, the FGCU Buckingham Campus, and the Tallahassee Museum. Cuttings varied by section and were divided into tip, middle, and base. The cuttings were planted and examined every week for 12 weeks for growing data. The data indicated that there was a steady 35.85% success rate at the 12th week.
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Started in Fall 2017, students in Dr. Brian Bovard's Climate Change Ecology (EVR4930) mapped campus trees with Project Bud Burst.

FGCU's Physical Plant's student worker, Sarah Perez, led service-learning students from various courses and disciplines in mapping our campus canopy with i-tree. These efforts support our Tree Campus USA initiative and allow us to quantify the amount of carbon sequestration that results from our preservation and restoration efforts.

Students collected baseline data on several Sabal Palmetto specimens to compare density, height of trees, number of green leaves, radius of the crown, number of seeds and inflorescences, and number of broken leaf sheaths on select sites throughout campus.

Students conducted propagation study to determine the survivability of American Beautyberry bushes upon cutting. Samples were cut and measure on several sites on the Florida Gulf Coast University home campus and Buckingham campus.
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Biodiversity of Formicidae in FGCU Campus Ecosystems
Lindsey Ksiazek, Faculty Mentor: Joyce Fassbender
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An eDNA Snapshot of Aquatic Communities in Five FGCU Campus Stormwater
Retention Ponds
Colin McMullen, Taylor Hancock Faculty Mentor: Hidetoshi Urakawa
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Collecting Baseline Data on Sabal Palmetto Around FGCU's Campus
Kailani Mena, Jaclyn HOrton, and Amy Auerbach

Optimizing FGCU's parking garages for safety and parking efficiency
Andrew McKay, Carlton Saunderson, & Morgan Bettencourt, Faculty Mentor: Erik Insko

Service Learning Projects 2019/2020:
RecycleMania
Campus Clean Ups
Making plarn (plastic yearn) to make mats for homeless
Upcycling old tee-shirts into reusable bags for FGCU's Weekly Farmers' Markets
Class Project Clothing Swap

Research Title: Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus
Student Authors: Amy He, Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E.); Alisha Perez, Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.); Maximilian Honigfort, Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.); Kaylei Kambak, Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E.)
Faculty Mentors: Seneshaw Tsegaye, Environmental and Civil Engineering; Tanya Kunberger, Environmental and Civil Engineering
Abstract: This project aims to provide a life cycle analysis of a closed-loop system that offers a way to dispose of organic wastes and retrieve water for irrigation, nutrients to grow plants and methane gas that can be used for energy generation. This system is driven by microbial processes, and through its optimization, it provides both a sustainable and economical method of waste disposal. The system has three main components, biodigester, water filtration, and plant growth. The biodigester is fed by liquid, solid and food waste. These wastes will provide the microbes a source of food and energy to produce biogas. These biogases are storage and collected in the biogas storage tank. The biogas is analysis to see the relationship between the amount of waste with the amount of biogas production. The liquid waste is filtered through a slow sand filtration to filter out any undesirable particles. A water quality test is being done to test for the TN, TP, TSS, pH, and temperature. The recycled water is used for the
hydroponic system to provide nutrients to the plants. The data for the chlorophyll will be collected and compare with the control and the plant from the hydroponic system. Solar panels will be installed to provide electricity for the pumps and the food grinder. The energy that is provided and used from the
solar panel will be collected to be discussed in the LCA.

Student Research Title: Hydrology of Southwest Florida Wet Detention Ponds: Can Stormwater Detention Ponds on the FGCU Campus Reduce Runoff and Mitigate Flooding in the Estero River Watershed?
Student Author: Abigail Krueger, Environmental Studies (B.A.)
Faculty Mentor: Don Duke, Ecology & Environmental Studies
Grant Support: Seidler Scholarly Collaborative Fellowship
Abstract: Florida communities would benefit if their stormwater wet detention ponds, installed under State requirements for water quality purposes, were also useful for flood mitigation. This research studied 12 ponds on the FGCU campus for 12 months beginning September 2018 and quantified their response to precipitation events, as a means to investigate whether the ponds detain sufficient runoff to reduce peak flow from extreme events. Results document very different responses between wetweather conditions, featuring steady precipitation on a near daily basis and surficial water table essentially as high as the pond surface; and dry-weather conditions, when soils are unsaturated and pond level is much lower at the beginning of a given precipitation event. Also, the 12 studied ponds demonstrate different responses - those very near one another (<100 meters) tend to respond as a group, but groups that are as little as 500 meters apart have different elevation changes per unit precipitation, and different degrees of variation among storm events. During dry conditions, the unit rise for three groups of campus ponds has a median between 2.5 and 5.7, with a relatively low variation in "Main Campus" and "Welcome Center" ponds, but much higher variation in "SoVi" ponds. During wet season, regression analyses show that only longer-term precipitation (modeled here as 21-day aggregate rainfall) is significant in predicting change in pond level, with no statistically significant influence from short-term (3-day aggregate) or medium-term (9-day aggregate) rainfall. Results suggest the ponds can accommodate a relatively large amount of precipitation during dry periods, so they are useful to detain peak flow during an isolated storm event, even a large one. However, during wet season there is almost no relationship between pond elevation and short-term precipitation, suggesting very
little capacity to detain peak flows or reduce flooding during those conditions, which are crucial flooding conditions in south Florida. Ponds are probably not useful to mitigate flooding at those times.

Research Title: Water Quality Variability Among Three Hydro-Systems of Close Proximity on FGCU's Campus
Student Authors: Olivia Hilfiker, Danielle Patton, Danielle Akeung
Faculty Mentor: Mary Abercrombie
Marine & Ecological Sciences
Abstract: Nutrients, such as nitrate, nitrite, phosphorus and ammonia, are found naturally within water bodies in minute concentrations. When these nutrients are present in excess, they can have negative impacts on the aquatic ecosystem mainly through a process known as eutrophication. Eutrophication symptoms are generally tied to an overly abundant biomass of mainly phytoplanktonic algae forming often monospecific (harmful) algal blooms. This dystrophic state often leads anoxia and hypoxia leading sometimes to fish kill. The objective of this study is to compare the concentration of these nutrients in ponds around Florida Gulf Coast University’s campus. The sampling locations occurred in the pond behind Eagle Hall in South Village, the pond under the bridge/overpass entering South Village, and the pond by the control structure since that follows the flow of water on campus. Samples from each pond were collected weekly and YSI technology demonstrated fluctuations in temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the water during each sample collection. If the concentrations of these nutrients exceed normal levels, the sites will be revisited to identify potential sources of pollution and plans to remediate the problem will be devised and implemented.

Research Title: Assessment of the Spatiotemporal Change in Groundwater Flow and Table within the FGCU Campus
Student Author: Dustin Philipp
Faculty Mentor: Serge Thomas
Abstract: Southwest Florida is low in elevation and has a unique connection between the groundwater and the surface water. This connection is typically altered with new developments as penetrable surfaces become resistant and surface water flow is changed from its original pathways. FGCU is built on a natural wetland and is planned to continue its much needed development while still respecting the surrounding natural environment. This study is designed to assess how the groundwater flow and table have changed spatiotemporally on campus since the implementation of groundwater wells installed and monitored by Johnson Engineering together with the installation of 47 additional piezometers (40 manuals, and 7 duplicates equipped with pressure transducers) within the FGCU campus. Even though not all of the piezometers have been put in place, a portrayal of the difference of the spatiotemporal groundwater flow and table is attempted, and this will continue next semester with other students working towards a Senior Project. A long-term monitoring plan should allow a better understanding of how urbanization affects groundwater and should seem attractive towards other communities which are facing major anthropogenic changes.

Student Abigail Kruger with mentor Dr. Don Duke; Research title: Ready for the Next Hurricane Irma? Predicting Flood Conditions by Linking Precipitation to Surface and Groundwater Flows On, and from the FGCU Campus by Monitoring Campus Ponds. This research helps campus resiliency planning.

Research Title: Health Effects of Student Welfare Stigma at Florida Gulf Coast University
Student Authors: Emma Hoelscher, Linda Mazanet
Faculty Mentor: Max Stein, Social Sciences
Abstract: Food and housing insecurity among students in higher education are national health crises that impact academic performance, social dynamics, and overall well-being. Yet despite a demonstrable need for financial assistance among US undergraduates, existing research suggests the number of students who seek out available resources is a fraction of those eligible to apply. This study seeks to understand how cultural knowledge and social stigma surrounding welfare use influence undergraduates' encounters with multiple insecurities and identify how such factors shape student well-being. Specifically, we examine individual and group knowledge about available assistance and measure stigma associated with its use to determine their impact on mental wellness. This student-led, mixed-methods and interdisciplinary study is being conducted among credit-earning undergraduates at Florida Gulf Coast University using a combination of surveys, open-ended interviews, focus groups, online questionnaires, and ethnographic methods. Data will be analyzed in IBM SPSS to identify health threats associated with the stigma of student welfare use at FGCU and determine how social, cultural, and economic elements further shape individual risk factors. We hypothesize a positive statistical correlation between individual measurements of student welfare stigma and psychological distress. Research aims to broaden understanding of student financial assistance and usage at FGCU.

Body Mass Index Evaluation and Increasing Referrals to Available Resources
Jaqueline Battjes, Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Swaynehttps://www.fgcu.edu/hr/files/wellness/August2019.pdf

Over the past three-years, there have been so many instances of students and faculty using our campus as a living learning laboratory, that it is difficult to track. This is something to be proud of but means that not all projects that deserve being recognized in this credit are listed in this report. The Environmental Health & Safety department tasked with completing FGCU's STARS report has written descriptions of projects that they are aware of and hope to continually build better infrastructures for collecting this important information.