FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2015
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دمهْض±²¥ State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115
GLENVILLE, WV - دمهْض±²¥ State College senior Natural Resource Management and Forest Technology student Jesse Alborano will be presenting the findings of a study that was completed over the summer. The presentation is titled 'The Effect of Precipitation on the Diameter Growth of Native Tree Species in an Oak-Hickory Forest' and will take place on Thursday, September 24 at 12:15 p.m. in room 227-228 of GSC's Waco Center.
"I worked with Dr. Rico Gazal for six weeks during this past summer. The study involved taking core samples and comparing them to precipitation data, looking at site characteristics such as soil composition, soil moisture, aspect, elevation, slope etc. Dr. Gazal and I first did research together in the summer of 2014 on the effect of precipitation on the diameter growth of tree of heaven (an invasive species), so this study was a sort of continuation of our original research," said Alborano.
The study was conducted to determine the effects of precipitation on the diameter growth of native tree species commonly found in West Virginia. Trees in the study included black cherry, yellow poplar, red maple, white and black oak, hickory, and black walnut.
During his time at GSC, in addition to continuing academic work, he has also been a member of the Forestry Club, the Sigma Omega Beta fraternity, and the Shooting Club. The Harrisville, West Virginia native is the son of Kathryn and Ronald Woodford.
Alborano says that being a student at GSC has allowed him to get a quality education in a place where classes are small enough to have real relationships with the professors. "There is time for them to talk with us and guide us individually. The Land Resources Department in my opinion is the best department available for students at GSC. The professors go out of their way to make sure every student understands exactly what is going on and the labs are mostly hands-on so we get real experience in our related fields," he stated.
He also cites regular teamwork between students and professors who go out of their way to help students find internships and jobs, even after graduation, as other perks of being a Land Resources student.
His presentation is free and open to the public.