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Brittany Huhmann
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University in St. Louis
Advisor: Professor Raymond E. Arvidson
Abstract
The Pathfinder Program is a four-year environmental sustainability program for undergraduates. It takes a multidisciplinary approach by incorporating geological, ecological, political, and cultural perspectives. By focusing on case studies and using remote sensing data, environmental literature, and fieldwork, the program enables students to explore multiple perspectives on environmental sustainability as they can be applied to specific problems. This report details the curriculum support and development work done for two of the Pathfinder courses, Land Dynamics and the Environment (Path 201) and Case Study: Southwestern U. S. (Path 202). Course material was prepared and assisted resource support was provided for the students. Assistance with the logistics of the fieldwork portions of both classes was made available and data collected will be incorporated into future versions of these courses.
Brittany Huhmann is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in Saint Louis. Her interest in the environment and scientific research has motivated her to pursue many research opportunities beyond her coursework. Last summer she worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation studying gene flow in endangered fish species in the state of Missouri. Brittany has decided to pursue an Earth and Planetary Sciences major with a focus on geochemistry, and she hopes that this focus will allow her to work at the interface between the basic materials of ecosystems and the organisms that inhabit those ecosystems. In accordance with these interests, she plans to work for the USGS this summer on a research project that will examine sediment transport on the Missouri River as it affects the pallid sturgeon's habitat. Brittany is excited for this opportunity, because it will allow her to spend another summer with her parents and her younger brother who live in Jefferson City, Missouri.
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