Binghamton University, because of its status as one of only four University Research Centers in the State University of New York system, offers a wide range of courses and abundant opportunities for involvement in research projects that address the latest problems and theory with leading edge technology. This is true at both graduate and undergraduate levels, and studies concerned with watershed conservation and management are no exception.

Undergraduate students can benefit from this emphasis on research at Binghamton University in several ways. Students can initiate independent research for credit under the supervision of faculty members, which takes the student directly into the research laboratory and/or field sites of a professor. Studies can be for just a semester, or in special cases, last up to four or more semesters. In the latter case, the student may wish to complete a research project of their own and graduate with Honors in the chosen discipline. Some of these students may be funded as research assistants by the research grants of their faculty supervisor, and even seek some independent funding of their own. Research involvement at all these levels is possible within CIWS, and students interested in these opportunities should first consult the projects outlined in the CIWS web pages, then contact the undergraduate programs of the associated departments for more general information, and then finally contact the specific faculty members listed in the website.

Another possibility for undergraduate students interested in environmental issues along with, or in addition to, issues concerned specifically with watershed conservation and management is entry into Binghamton University’s Environmental Studies Program. The program is interdisciplinary at the undergraduate level, and in many ways is a good preparation for more advanced studies in watershed management and conservation. Interested students should speak with undergraduate advisors in the Environmental Studies Program and the departments of CIWS faculty members before deciding about any particular course of study. After discussing issues with these resource personnel, the student may wish to discuss matters further with individual CIWS faculty members.

Affliated Undergraduate Students

Ken Hubbard
bi89625@binghamton.edu
Independent Study: Assessing In-stream Suspended Sediment Flux in Miller Creek, Spencer, NY.

Peter Homyak
petehomyak@aol.com
A Longitudinal Limnological Survey of the Whitney Point Reservoir.