Press release
From Mars Hill College
Mars Hill College Associate Professor of Chemistry Meredith Newman was one of six individual and groups to be presented with the “Friends of the River” Awards on August 29, 2012 by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council.
These awards recognize individuals, private organizations, civic groups, and/or public agencies in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties who have made significant contributions toward the enhancement or restoration of the French Broad River as a cultural, economic, natural, or recreational resource.
Newman has established an ongoing water testing program at Mars Hill College that engages students, teaches them scientific testing methods and provides valuable stream quality data on the French Broad River and its eight tributaries. Students involved in the program this year are Andrew Brandt, Chris Platt and Drew Rohskopf.
Newman was nominated for the award by Madison County Soil Conservationist Sara Nichols who works with the students on the project.
After collecting water samples from several areas in Madison County, students test each sample for numerous characteristics, including PH level, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, phosphates, suspended solids, nitrates and fecal levels.
The students then chart the data based on the location and any changes in the environment than may have affected the water.
Mars Hill College is a private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees and one graduate degree in elementary education. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, the campus is located just 20 minutes north of Asheville in the mountains of western North Carolina.www.mhc.edu 1-866-MHC-4-YOU.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.