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Jon Duncan
Interviewed by Tammy Newcomer
Featured Graduate Student - June 2011
Name: Jon Duncan
School: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Degree Seeking: PhD
Adviser: Dr. Larry Band
Schools for previous degrees: BS Biology, SUNY Geneseo
MS Environmental and Forest Engineering, SUNY ESF
MPA Public Administration, Syracuse University
Hometown: Canandaigua, NY
Questions
Checking the Pond Branch weir
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Tammy: How would you describe your field of study/research to a friend who is not in your graduate program?
Jon: Broadly, I study how rainfall becomes streamwater and how nutrients are transformed and transported through watersheds. My research investigates how the physical structure of watersheds and the ecosystem processes occurring within them interact with hydrology to control the amount of nitrogen in streams.
Tammy: What inspired you to go into this field of study?
Jon: I grew up in the Finger Lakes area of New York State where seemingly everyone knows what a watershed is. Upstream actions have downstream consequences. From high school internships to undergraduate research, every question involved some aspect of hydrology. And how important people are in shaping their environment. It’s an intellectually intriguing field that has direct societal relevance- a perfect combination for me.
Tammy: Why did you become involved with BES?
Jon: I began following the BES research during my Masters program where I was studying how urbanization alters hydrology and biogeochemistry in the watersheds that supply New York City with its drinking water. Through my previous job at CUAHSI, I learned more about the project and worked with some of the Co-PIs.
Tammy: What do you most enjoy about being involved with BES?
Jon: The people, without a doubt. BES has an impressive array of top-notch scientists from a broad spectrum of disciplines. The folks I am working with have made my project far more enjoyable. Fellow students have become great colleagues and friends. And Dan Dillon, bedrock of the BES data collection efforts, is an incredibly nice person who has been willing to help whenever he can.
Tammy: What types of outreach activities to you do to engage communities in your research? Have you found that some activities work better than others?
Jon: Almost all of my research is conducted in Pond Branch, the forested reference watershed of BES. So my main interaction is the community of employees and visitors of Oregon Ridge Park. Hikers often ask what I’m up to and are interested to learn of the Park’s role in scientific research. Through future research, I hope to apply what I’m learning in Pond Branch to other urbanized watersheds within the BES.
Tammy: What is your favorite stress-reduction activity?
Jon: By far, playing with my son Ben. His laugh instantly de-stresses!
Tammy: What are your plans for after graduate school?
Jon: There’s life after graduate school?! A career that enables me to pursue research about watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry would be ideal.
Tammy: Name at least one achievement you are proud of.
Jon: First, I’d have to say my decision to go back to school for my PhD. Second is the balance I’ve struck doing a dissertation that is equal parts fieldwork and numerical modeling.
Tammy: Do you have any advice that you would give to a new BES graduate students?
Jon: Embrace the diversity of approaches and science questions. The BES is a standout LTER in this regard. The breadth and depth of research at the BES is impressive and learning more about what others are doing will inevitably help better contextual your own research.
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