In this work a prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) facility has been designed, built, and characterized at the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor. PGNAA is a technique used to determine the presence and quantity of trace elements such as boron, hydrogen and carbon which are more difficult to detect...
Centerline rumble strips (CLRS) have proven to be a cost-effective safety measure in reducing lane departure crashes. However, there are often unintended consequences associated with the installation of CLRS, particularly in rural mountainous areas or snow zones. These consequences include the accumulation of water and ice on the roadway and...
Invasion by non-native plants into natural areas is an important component of global change that threatens biodiversity and ecosystem structure and function. Mountains are currently among the least invaded ecosystems, however, these biodiversity hotspots are increasingly under threat of exotic plant invasion. Evaluation of plant species distribution patterns in mountain...
Aquatic insect population counts can be a good indicator of the health, or water quality, of rivers and streams. Stoneflies (Plecoptera) are particularly susceptible to pollution in streams. However, today’s current method for obtaining these population counts requires biologists to examine individual specimens under a microscope for identification to the...
An experimental environmental uptake model was developed for the purpose
of estimating the final harvest concentration of contaminant following an acute
accidental release of radiocesium onto an eastern Oregon winter wheat crop. The
system was developed using the PATHWAY environmental uptake model as
presented by Whicker and Kirchner (1987) for...
The Willamette River flows north between the Cascade Mountains and Coast Range of western Oregon within a 29,728-km² basin. The fish community in the geologically young basin consists of 36 native species, but introductions of non-native fishes have added 33 additional species for a total of 69 fish species. During...
My internship was conducted with the Native Seed Network program within the Institute for Applied Ecology, a non-profit organization located in Corvallis, whose focus is education, applied research and active restoration and of native ecosystems. My internship goals were to increase my experience in applied restoration ecology and conservation biology...
The problem of determining whether a crack impinging on an interface will penetrate into the substrate or deflect along the interface is vital to the effective design of layered and composite material systems. Of particular interest is the transition between crack propagation by penetration through an interface and deflection along...
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a group formed in 1960 and often blamed for the oil shock of 1973, is treated as a cartel that aims to limit oil production and hold oil price at a level above market equilibrium. Recent research has offered a counter theory that...
The Wood River Basin lies upstream of Upper Klamath Lake, the main reservoir of the USBR Klamath Irrigation Project that provides irrigation water to 210,000 acres of downstream land. Water allocation became a contentious issue in 2001 when drought led to curtailment of irrigation deliveries to the Klamath Irrigation Project...