On Dec. 3, students in two Environmental Science classes presented their research to fellow classmates, instructors, and the public.
The presentations were the culmination of a semester of research on a specific topic for groups of students, and topics included the effects of pollution on asthma, CO2 levels in urban-rural areas in St. Cloud, hydrangeas as indicator species, and water quality. Students discussed their research findings over a 2-hour span, including to the panel of judges who would choose the best project to award a $500 prize.
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On Friday, the winning research presentation was announced: Clover Cover versus Grass Cover by Rachel Hellmann and Garret Denne.
"Our results show that the clover and grass mixes have the highest amount of nutrients left in the soil, thus requiring less fertilizer. As a result, people should consider switching lawn covers to a mix of clover and grass. Over time, this continues to keep the soil healthier and has fewer adverse health effects on the environment in the long run," concluded their results.
"We got more comfortable and we started to know what to talk about in particular; in the end it ended up being very good. We won, so that was really awesome. It made me kind of excited to maybe do another research project," said Hellmann.
Congratulations, Garret and Rachel!
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