NCED's Sip of Science Series Returns September 9
Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 7:42PMGreat news! National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics (NCED) will resume their monthly Sip of Science series on Wednesday, September 9, at the Aster Cafe. :)
September Sip of Science - Ask me about my mussels! The relationship between sediment and native river mussels in Minnesota
Kelly MacGregor, Macalester College
September 9 5:30 pm
River Room, Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street
Native freshwater mussels are an important part of river ecosystems. Individuals can live for more than 50 years, filtering water for nutrients and stabilizing riverbed sediment in some places. However, widespread Kelly MacGregor collecting mussels during a snorkel survey. Photo credit: Macalester Collegehabitat Kelly MacGregor collecting mussels during a snorkel survey. Photo credit: Macalester Collegedestruction, pollution, land-use change and deteriorating water quality can impact mussel populations. Join us as Macalester College professor Kelly MacGregor describes a current collaborative study between Macalester College, the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, and River Life that investigates the impacts of riverbed and suspended sediment on mussel diversity, health and happiness. The most recent portion of the research involved snorkeling four rivers (the Snake River, the Chippewa River, the Cottonwood River, and Le Sueur Rivers) this past summer. Mussel shells and stories will be shared!
Kelly MacGregor collecting mussels during a snorkel survey. Photo credit: Macalester College
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kelly MacGregor is a professor and chair of the Geology Department at Macalester College in St. Paul. She has a B.A. in Geology from Williams College, and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from UC Santa Cruz. She is a geomorphologist with a focus on glacial erosion in alpine landscapes, and has done both numerical modeling of glacial erosion and field work on alpine glaciers in Alaska, British Columbia and Montana. Professor MacGregor is currently working on several projects, including environmental and climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum in Glacier National Park using lake sediments, and the dynamics of sediment transport on the St. Croix and Minnesota Rivers in Minnesota. She and her husband, also a geologist, live in St. Paul with their two kids and a motley crew of pets.
A SIP OF SCIENCE bridges the gap between science and culture in a setting that bridges the gap between brain and belly. Food, beer, and learning are on the menu in a happy hour forum that puts science in context through storytelling.
No cover; food and drink available for purchase.
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