Lake Taihu Field Report

Earlier this month, PhD student Neil Fredrick and I were in China for a meeting on our Lake Taihu project. The picture below is me standing on the dock at the Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research (TLLER) during a bloom. Despite the rather challenging conditions (107dF & high humidity), the trip was enjoyable and very productive. Specifically, we connected with a hydrodynamic modeler (Li Wei) and started combining her hydrodynamic model with Neil’s N cycle model. This will allow us to predict spatial patterns in the N cycle processes.

Summer Research Wraps Up

This year, our summer research focused on understanding the role of N fixation on the N cycle and export of N from lakes. The team was led by PhD student Xiaodan Ruan and included PhD student Frank Schellenger, RET Bruce Brender and YSPs Garlyn Colas and Janice Tso. Janice and Garlyn made a very nice oral presentation at the wrap-up meeting on August 2. Here is a picture of the team.

Antibiotic Resistance Modeling Lecture NOW AVAILABLE

I published a lecture video entitled “Modeling antibiotic resistance in the ambient aquatic environment”. This 1-hour lecture is suitable as an advanced topic in graduate-level surface water quality modeling courses. The lecture provides an introduction to antibiotics, antibiotic resistance (AR) and AR in the ambient environment. It presents a mathematical model (MAQUIS) and application to tetracyclines in the Poudre River, as well as a hands-on tutorial and homework assignment. If you are teaching surface water quality modeling, you may find this lecture to be a valuable addition to your course. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments. Here is the link to the lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RblyKjlPxds&feature=share&list=UU-l5JSjKdLI7fGaYx_l-i5Q