Identifying the problems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nUnder the mentorship of Dr. Amy Lambert, associate teaching professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/a>,\u202fNirschl and Reiber worked on mitigation and adaptation strategies for seasonal flooding within farm fields. Seasonal flooding can cause many challenges, including a later planting start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cTo come up with solutions, we needed to do some background to learn why this was happening and what could be done within the King County regulatory code,\u201d Reiber said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through their research on the soil and landscape features, Reiber and Nirschl determined a high probability of a wetland presence on the site. They then conducted a wetland delineation to confirm if a wetland was present and, if so, to establish its location and size. In the area where seasonal flooding was an issue, they in fact discovered a Category III wetland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/Nicole_Reiber_Dev_Nirschl_Showcase_2023_Full_Width-1024x682.jpeg\")
From left: Nicole Reiber and Dev Nirschl present \u201cFlood Adaptation\/Mitigation for Viva Farms King County.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cThe presence of a wetland on this site with poorly draining soils explained why the farms experienced seasonal flooding, and the wetter-than-normal conditions explained the restrictions on getting farmers out into the fields during planting season,\u201d Reiber said. What\u2019s more, she and Nirschl also noted in their research reporting that reed canary grass seemed to be clogging the agricultural ditches meant to help with the drainage, further contributing to the excess water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mitigating impacts of seasonal flooding<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nAfter establishing the cause of seasonal flooding, Reiber and Nirschl next provided the farm with several steps that could mitigate negative impacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe came up with a variety of solutions for them to try to help reduce the excess water on site while keeping within regulatory code,\u201d Reiber said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the solutions they offered included farming practices such as cover crops \u2014 crops planted to cover the soil rather than be used for harvest. Other practices included no-till farming, planting vegetation that can handle a more aquatic environment and better maintaining the existing agricultural ditches by removing the reed-canary grass. For drainage maintenance, the team also referred Viva Farms to several best management practice documents and plans. They also connected the nonprofit with the King Conservation District to assist with further ideas for drainage management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reiber said her experience and expertise as a wetland consultant came in handy throughout the project and was partly what drew her to collaborate with Viva Farms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI chose this topic to research because not only am I passionate about environmental issues, but also I had started working professionally as a wetland consultant and knew agricultural lands are very challenging to delineate and have special case circumstances when it comes to regulatory code,\u201d Reiber said. \u201cI wanted to challenge myself on this project to hone my regulatory environmental skills as well as network with other professionals.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experiencing the value of collaboration<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile this research project supplied an opportunity for Reiber to hone her skills and work in her chosen career path, it was mutually beneficial in the value it provided to Viva Farms, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was honestly one of the best, most professional capstone projects I\u2019ve hosted in five years with multiple iterations. Nicole brought her skill and experience to bear and was great at networking and building bridges between academic, government, nonprofit and farming communities,\u201d said Micah Anderson, farm & education manager at Viva Farms King County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reiber graduated from UW Bothell last month with a bachelor\u2019s in Earth System Science and a minor in Geographic Information Systems. She is currently an environmental scientist for King County\u2019s Department of Local Services, Road Services Division under the Environmental Unit where she assists with mitigation site monitoring and other environmental monitoring tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reiber noted that many of the professional connections she made during her time at UW Bothell have transferred over to her career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would encourage students working on projects for their classes, even if it seems like a smaller project, to reach out to professionals doing related work. I have found many to be enthusiastic about working with a student, passing on any advice or knowledge they can,\u201d Reiber said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researching the currently incurable<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile looking through a research database, Ali Mirzazadeh\u202f(Biology, \u201923) discovered his plan for doing a research project, \u201cThe Effect of Advanced Age and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Neuropathology on Levels of the Tight Junction Protein, Occludin, in the Brain Microvasculature.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His great uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease, and so Mirzazadeh had a personal tie to the topic, having seen firsthand the impacts of the neurodegenerative disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately, neurodegenerative diseases are a pretty big issue around the world and increasingly so\u202fas the years go by, so if I could be a part of the cause to find a way to stop that and help people, then I would love to do that,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/Ali_Mirzazadeh_Showcase_2023_Full_Width-1024x682.jpeg\")
Ali Mirzazadeh presents \u201cThe Effect of Advanced Age and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Neuropathology on Levels of the Tight Junction Protein, Occludin, in the Brain Microvasculature.\u201d <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo come up with solutions, we needed to do some background to learn why this was happening and what could be done within the King County regulatory code,\u201d Reiber said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through their research on the soil and landscape features, Reiber and Nirschl determined a high probability of a wetland presence on the site. They then conducted a wetland delineation to confirm if a wetland was present and, if so, to establish its location and size. In the area where seasonal flooding was an issue, they in fact discovered a Category III wetland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe presence of a wetland on this site with poorly draining soils explained why the farms experienced seasonal flooding, and the wetter-than-normal conditions explained the restrictions on getting farmers out into the fields during planting season,\u201d Reiber said. What\u2019s more, she and Nirschl also noted in their research reporting that reed canary grass seemed to be clogging the agricultural ditches meant to help with the drainage, further contributing to the excess water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After establishing the cause of seasonal flooding, Reiber and Nirschl next provided the farm with several steps that could mitigate negative impacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe came up with a variety of solutions for them to try to help reduce the excess water on site while keeping within regulatory code,\u201d Reiber said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the solutions they offered included farming practices such as cover crops \u2014 crops planted to cover the soil rather than be used for harvest. Other practices included no-till farming, planting vegetation that can handle a more aquatic environment and better maintaining the existing agricultural ditches by removing the reed-canary grass. For drainage maintenance, the team also referred Viva Farms to several best management practice documents and plans. They also connected the nonprofit with the King Conservation District to assist with further ideas for drainage management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reiber said her experience and expertise as a wetland consultant came in handy throughout the project and was partly what drew her to collaborate with Viva Farms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI chose this topic to research because not only am I passionate about environmental issues, but also I had started working professionally as a wetland consultant and knew agricultural lands are very challenging to delineate and have special case circumstances when it comes to regulatory code,\u201d Reiber said. \u201cI wanted to challenge myself on this project to hone my regulatory environmental skills as well as network with other professionals.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While this research project supplied an opportunity for Reiber to hone her skills and work in her chosen career path, it was mutually beneficial in the value it provided to Viva Farms, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis was honestly one of the best, most professional capstone projects I\u2019ve hosted in five years with multiple iterations. Nicole brought her skill and experience to bear and was great at networking and building bridges between academic, government, nonprofit and farming communities,\u201d said Micah Anderson, farm & education manager at Viva Farms King County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reiber graduated from UW Bothell last month with a bachelor\u2019s in Earth System Science and a minor in Geographic Information Systems. She is currently an environmental scientist for King County\u2019s Department of Local Services, Road Services Division under the Environmental Unit where she assists with mitigation site monitoring and other environmental monitoring tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reiber noted that many of the professional connections she made during her time at UW Bothell have transferred over to her career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would encourage students working on projects for their classes, even if it seems like a smaller project, to reach out to professionals doing related work. I have found many to be enthusiastic about working with a student, passing on any advice or knowledge they can,\u201d Reiber said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While looking through a research database, Ali Mirzazadeh\u202f(Biology, \u201923) discovered his plan for doing a research project, \u201cThe Effect of Advanced Age and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Neuropathology on Levels of the Tight Junction Protein, Occludin, in the Brain Microvasculature.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n His great uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease, and so Mirzazadeh had a personal tie to the topic, having seen firsthand the impacts of the neurodegenerative disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, neurodegenerative diseases are a pretty big issue around the world and increasingly so\u202fas the years go by, so if I could be a part of the cause to find a way to stop that and help people, then I would love to do that,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMitigating impacts of seasonal flooding<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Experiencing the value of collaboration<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Researching the currently incurable<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/Binta_Sirah_Baldeh_Showcase_2023_Full_Width-1024x682.jpeg\")