Eastern Connecticut State University Environmental Earth Science (EES) faculty and students recently attended the Geological Society of America (GSA) Northeast Section 51st Annual Meeting in Albany, NY.

One of the students, Joshua Bartosiewicz and his faculty mentor, EES Professor Bryan Oakley, presented their research project titled, “The Benthic Geological Habitats of Long Island Sound in the Vicinity of the Thimble Islands and Branford River, CT, USA.”

According to Professor Oakley, “Josh and I mapped the benthic geologic habitats of 1,000 acres of Long Island Sound around the Thimble Islands, working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service in support of aquaculture-related projects. Benthic geologic habitats are areas of the seafloor, with geologic characteristics different than adjacent areas. We used side-scan sonar, a method of imaging the seafloor using sound waves, which reflect off the substrate, coupled with sediment samples to conduct the mapping.”

“Undergraduate research is one of the cornerstones of the work we do as faculty mentors. It offers our students an opportunity to apply classroom studies to real-world problems, and is an important part of training students to be independent, competent scientists,” said Oakley.

Established in 1888, the GSA provides access to elements that are essential to the professional growth of earth scientists at all levels of expertise and from all sectors – academic, government, business and industry. The society’s growing membership unites thousands of earth scientists from every corner of the globe in a common purpose to study the planet earth and beyond, as well as share related scientific findings.