Posted on Monday, May 3, 2004
Felicie Reid, a junior environmental science major at ¾¨Ó㴫ý, recently presented her research, "Effects of Chlorine on Population Growth of Selanastrum Capicornutum," at the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition Student Symposium.
"I tested local wastewater treatment plant effluents being released into the Little Neshannock Creek behind ¾¨Ó㴫ý's campus for free and total chlorine concentrations," Reid said. "From this data, I conducted toxicology tests of chlorine's effect on Selenastrum population growth. Selenastrum is a unicellular algae commonly found in freshwater and moist soils.
"I found that increasing chlorine concentration caused a decrease in Selenastrum growth. I also concluded that chlorine does indeed have a significantly detrimental effect on algal populations at the concentration being released into the Little Neshannock."
Dr. Ann Throckmorton, chair of the biology department, served as Reid's faculty advisor on the project.
Reid is a daughter of Keith and Catherine Reid, North Lima, Ohio, and a graduate of South Range High School.
For more information, contact Reid at (724) 946-7416 or e-mail reidfj@westminster.edu.
