Summary of Student Projects

Kenneth M. Klemow, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology and GeoEnvironmental Science
Biology Program, Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

Phone: (570) 408-4758 FAX: (570) 408-4758 email: kklemow@wilkes.edu

This page lists projects conducted by current and past Independent Research students and Senior Projects teams. It is still under construction.


Topic: Inventory and Analysis of Street Trees in Kingston, PA

Dates Conducted: 2004 - 2005

Student Associates: Megan Smith, Elizabeth Roveda, Brian Keating.

Description: This project involves two phases.  The first consists of the development of an inventory for the street trees in Kingston, PA to provide baseline information and assist municipal officials.  The second consists of a valuation analysis of the trees using the CityGreen module for ArcView Geographical Information Systems.

Presentations: 2005 PAS meeting


Topic: Development of On-Line Keys to the Plants from Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Dates Conducted: 1998 - 2005

Student Associates: Biology Majors: Amie D'Angelo, Anastasia Gurdock, Rob Pace, Jim Poepperling, Jessica Kwasny, Sara Zuchowski, Sandra Leigh Hughes, Erika Baltrusaitis, Steve Bortz, Jared Shayka, Bernadette Rabel, Heather Thomas, Amanda Henry, Alicia Burnham.

Computer Science majors: Timothy Fedor, Brian Kelly, Matthew Koch, Roshani Patel, Ariston Chua, Michael Knoethe, Mark Patrick

Description: This project involves the development of two versions of on-line keys to the plants from the Kirby Park Natural Area, an 80 acre riparian forest located alongside the Susquehanna River near downtown Wilkes-Barre. One version follows a dichotomous format (see Web Link) while the other follows a polyclave version (see Web Link)

Presentations: 2000 PAS meeting, 2002 PAS meeting, 2005 PAS meeting


Topic: Analysis of National Wetland Inventory Maps

Dates Conducted: 1995 - 1999

Student Associates: Malika Mohseni, Dave Clancy, Dan Grassi, Tonya Massenheimer, Heather Quick, Scott Schoenwolf, Mike Wassel, Jessica Azarewicz, Carrie Chipego, Jane Jesse, and Daniel Siani.

Description: This project involved an assessment of the accuracy of National Inventory Maps for northeastern Pennsylvania. Students compared NWI wetlands to distributions of hydric soils in according to the Soil Conservation Service maps and to in-field wetland delineations. The teams found that NWI wetlands appear to significantly underestimate true wetland acreage, and therefore should not be used to infer actual wetland distribution for Jurisdicational Purposes.

Presentations. 1996 ESA meeting, 1997 PAS meeting, 1999 PAS meeting.


Topic: Invasion of Woody Plants into Reclaimed Anthracite Minelands

Dates Conducted: 1999 - 2001

Student Associates: Melissa Petras, Richard Ali, Jennifer DiGerardo, Julie Keller, Ryan Klemish, Rob Helfrick, and Tom Tonkin

Description: This project involved an assessment of the degree to which reclamation practices (involving the establishment of a gress / legume meadow on graded sites) influenced subsequent invasion by woody plants. The students found that a dense herbaceous cover introduced during reclamation may inhibit subseqent tree invasion, though the inhibition appears to be negligible for tree species colonizing through vegetative reproduction.

Presentations. 2001 PAS meeting, 2004 PAS meeting, 2004 ESA Mid Atlantic meeting


Topic: Impact of Abandoned Mine Drainage on Streamside Vegetation in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Dates Conducted: 2002-2004

Student Associates: Stacy Rizzo, Chuck Angelo, Jesse Hassan, Jim Mack, and Erica Robaczewski

Description: This project involved an assessment of the degree to which abandoned mine drainage impacted the structure and composition of vegetation growing along streams in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania. In-field analyses were compared to multispectral remote-sensing imagery. The studies to date have not found any significant differences between mine-impacted vs unimpacted streams.

Presentations. 2003 PAS meeting


This page posted and maintained by Kenneth M. Klemow, Ph.D., Biology Program, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. Phone: (570) 408-4758, FAX: (570) 408-7862, email: kklemow@wilkes.edu.