Noted artist Len Tantillo, who researches and paints historic scenes on the Mohawk and Hudson rivers, will deliver the keynote address at the annual Mohawk Watershed Symposium Friday, March 17, at College Park Hall.
Tantillo will discuss “Linking an Empire: Understanding the Historical Significance of the Mohawk River.” Part of his presentation will highlight the Erie Canal, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.
Now in its ninth year, the daylong symposium features dozens of oral and poster presentations.
Nearly 200 participants are expected, including scientists, engineers and other professionals, and students. The conference is open to registered participants.
The Mohawk River watershed is a unique and distinctive drainage basin that originates in the valley between the western Adirondacks and the Tug Hill Plateau. It flows 140 miles to the east, where it joins the Hudson River.
This year’s focus is on water quality, including infrastructure, new environmental monitoring, pathogens in water, PCBs and microplastics in the river.
Assemblyman Phil Steck, D-Colonie, will present a talk on “The Safe Water Infrastructure Action Program,” which outlines a recent proposal to establish an emergency water infrastructure fund for New York.
Speakers from Union and their topics include:
• Ashraf Ghaly, the Carl B. Jansen Professor of Engineering, “Developing a Formula for Fair Distribution of Water for Rivers with Multi-riparian States”
• Jacqueline Smith, research professor of geology, “The Distribution of Micro plastic Pollution in the Mohawk River”
• Laura MacManus-Spencer, associate professor of chemistry, “Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA): A Local Water Contamination Crisis”
• John Garver, professor of geology, “Future of the Mohawk Watershed Symposium”
• Jacqueline Smith, research professor of geology and John Garver, professor of geology, “Fly Ash and Coal Ash in the Mohawk River”
• Alice Hayden ‘17, Laura MacManus-Spencer, associate professor of chemistry, and Anouk Verheyden, lecturer in geology, “Temporal and Spatial Variability of PFOA in Hoosick Falls, N.Y”
• Jake Ulrich ’17, Laura A. MacManus-Spencer, associate professor of chemistry, “Systematic Investigation of the Effects of Perfluoroalkyl Acid Chain Length and Ionic Head Group on Human Serum Albumin Binding”
• Anouk Verheyden, lecturer in geology, Sarah Katz, researcher in geology, and David P. Gillikin, associate professor of geology, “The IAEA Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation and Rivers (GNIP and GNIR) Stations at Union College”
• Carolyn Connors ’17, Anouk Verheyden, lecturer in geology, and David P. Gillikin, associate professor of geology, “Impacts of Urbanization of Stream Biogeochemistry in Schenectady County, N.Y”
• Alexander Dolcimascolo ’17, Holli Frey, associate professor and chair of geology, Kurt Hollocher, the John and Jane Wold Professor of Geology, Abadie Ludlam ‘18 and Joshua Dunn ‘18, “Union College Water Initiative”
• Ashraf Ghaly, the Carl B. Jansen Professor of Engineering, “Dams: Miraculous or Disastrous?”
For more information on the symposium, including other speakers, click here.
The symposium is sponsored by the Geology Department and organized by Garver and Jaclyn Cockburn, a former Union professor now at the University of Guelph, Ontario.