Research fellow: Hannah Dallas
Hometown: Merrimack, NH
School: University of Rhode Island
Majors: Environmental Science & Management, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
Mentor: Caroline Gottschalk Druschke
Project: Public perceptions of dam removal and migratory fish passage in an era of climate change

The RI EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program is giving URI sophomore Hannah Dallas a unique opportunity that colors outside the lines of the typical picture of scientific research.

Working under the guidance of faculty mentor Assistant Professor Caroline Gottschalk Druschke, Dallas is investigating the perceptions of dam removal, spending much of her fellowship at a computer, sifting through websites and newspaper archives.

“So far I have been looking through daily newspapers in New Hampshire and trying to find any articles that contain the term ‘dam removal’ and/or ‘remove dam’ from February 1985 to January 2016,” she explains. “Since this is the very beginning of the project, it requires a lot of just compiling any data that we see.”

At the same time, Dallas says, she is helping with a case study for one of the dams on the Pawcatuck River in Westerly, RI, which will include historical information and documents along with newspaper articles, websites, Facebook posts, and pictures — essentially, any reference to any discussion and decisions made about the dam, including its removal.

Although logging long hours researching websites and newspaper archives may not sound as thrilling as the fieldwork her many of her peers are engaged in, Dallas finds her SURF 2016 experience both compelling and fun:

“I get really excited when I find a potentially important document that can be used later on in the project. I’m working on a case study for White Rock dam on the Pawcatuck River in Rhode Island, and I found the environmental assessment document completed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the Nature Conservancy.

“Just this one document contains so much information about the status of the dam removal; it includes other alternatives to removing the dam as well as why the dam will be removed. It also includes the environmental impact study, which determines how removing the dam will either hurt or help the environment around it!”

As for where her path may lead after graduation, Dallas’ plans remain up in the air at the moment. Graduate school is on her list of possibilities, she says, but she knows that environmental science typically demands work experience prior to pursuing an advanced degree. She is contemplating a minor in Restoration Science and Management, which gives students in-depth, interdisciplinary training in the principles and application of restoration science and management to solve environmental problems and issues.

“I have also been thinking about maybe wanting to work for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) or the National Park System,” Dallas says. “However, I also really want to travel in my future, all around the world. So, if I am able to find a job that requires me to travel, then I think that would be ideal.”

Story and photo by Amy Dunkle