Commentaries

Commentaries are short articles (around 1000 words) which can address a variety of issues relating to research, mentoring or scholarship. Topics might include a research experience, the social and political implications of a line of research, the application of an academic theory to current events, observations about academic life here at the University of New Hampshire or elsewhere—or something entirely different that the editors have not envisioned. Commentaries are usually focused more on personal experience than are research articles, and may be written by students, faculty or staff at UNH. Graduates of the University are encouraged to look back on their undergraduate research experience and its place in their personal and professional lives.

Climate Change in the Wild West Fifty Million Years Ago

Approximately 55 million years ago, the Earth experienced a massive, abrupt climate warming.  A huge amount of gaseous carbon was released into the atmosphere, an amount approximately equal to what would be released if humans burned all the Earth’s known fossil fuel reserves.  This event, named the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), raised global temperatures by up to nine degrees Celsius over a period of less than ten thousand years. Sea level rose, crocodiles lived in the Arctic, and there were palm trees in Wyoming (McInerney and Wing, 2011).

Lamb’s Blood and Goose Quills: Learning to Research the History of Blood Transfusion Medicine

As a freshman at the University of New Hampshire in 2011, I declared biomedical science as my major with a pre-med focus and a minor in history. In my second semester my advisor suggested I look into finding interesting areas of research as part of my preparation for medical school. This led me to a summer of research that was daunting, difficult, and very rewarding. I discovered the highs and lows of the research process, and I learned how to make my writing tighter and more focused.

The Plight of the Piping Plover

It was early morning on Cape Cod National Seashore. I was walking very cautiously along the beach with three shorebird biologists trained in avian behaviors. We were looking for signs of Piping Plovers, which are federally threatened shorebirds that nest all over Cape Cod. Each step that I took was considered, calculated, and executed. It was my ninth day at work as a Shorebird Conservation Intern, and already I felt like I knew what I was doing. However, it was early, and I felt my mind drifting. “Theresa, freeze! Do you see it?” Dennis, a supervisor, yelled out.

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