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NH EPSCoR at Keene State

Ecosystems & Society

NH EPSCoR’s state-wide Ecosystems and Society project examines the interactions among climate, land use, ecosystem services, and society. It is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Research Infrastructure Improvement Award #EPS 1101245.

Dr. Denise Burchsted (Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies) is a research scientist and professional engineer working at the intersection of aquatic ecology, water resources engineering, and fluvial geomorphology. She has designed river restoration projects such as dam removals and fish passage projects, as well as studying baseline conditions of rivers prior to modern human influence.

With a team of Keene State College students, Dr. Burchsted contributes to the overall goals of NH EPSCoR by studying key questions about natural dams (beaver dams and log jams) such as:

  1. Which physical factors control the presence, size, frequency, and longevity of dams?
  2. Which land use and demographic factors control the presence, size, frequency, and longevity of dams?
  3. What is the range of variability of the impact of dams on transient storage and nutrient concentrations?
  4. What is the net impact of these features at the river network scale?

Additionally, Dr. Sally Jean (Professor of General Science) is a key contributor to the Ecosystems & Society project’s mission of educational outreach, bringing inquiry-based learning to students across our state and inspiring those students to pursue careers in science.

New England SusTainability (NEST) Consortium

The NEST project is a partnership between the Maine and New Hampshire EPSCoR programs aimed strengthening the scientific basis for how we manage our shared coastal ecosystem, including the management of beaches and shellfish harvesting and restrictions placed on them due to contamination. It is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Research Infrastructure Improvement Award # IIA-1330641.

Dr. Loren Launen (Associate Professor, Biology) is an environmental microbiologist specializing in the microbiology of contaminated sites. She and her students are contributing to the overall goals of the NEST program by investigating microbial communities that are important in beach closures - both those that are problematic as they harm human health, and those that are useful because they remediate pollutants.

Contact OSPR

Please visit our staff page for a directory of contacts for various sponsored projects and research functions.

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