GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (October 26, 2006) -

Published on

On Thursday, November 2, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Elizabeth Jensen, Ph.D. Aquinas College Assistant Professor of Chemistry Elizabeth Jensen, Ph.D. will present Outdoor Chemistry: Nutrients and Toxins in the Water and Soil of Michigan. The presentation will be from 12:30-1:30 p.m., in the Loutit Room of Wege Student Center. The event is sponsored by the Jane Hibbard Idema Women's Studies Center and is free and public is welcome.

During the summers of 2005 and 2006, Jensen supervised Aquinas undergraduates working on chemistry research projects funded by the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute for Ecological Education, Hastings, Michigan. The first year, two students and Jensen investigated seven chemical and physical properties of Brewster Lake, including dissolved oxygen, temperature, nitrate concentration and pH, in order to judge the health of the lake water. The second year, two other students studied copper, zinc and lead concentrations in the soils on the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute property as well as locations near Aquinas in Grand Rapids. Our work not only provided valuable information for the Institute but also helped the students learn about doing original research in the field.