SIOUX FALLS – Nick Klein, senior biology major from Valentine, Neb., will share results from his National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF- REU) summer project at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) fall meeting December 15-19 in San Francisco.

Klein will present a poster on his summer research and will also be attending lectures and seminars. In attendance will be some 3,500 scientists from around the world. “For someone applying to graduate schools like myself, the networking aspect will be very helpful,” Klein said.
Attendance for the week-long meeting is estimated at 15,000.

Klein was invited to attend the meeting on a grant from the NSF. The organization funds one REU student from each REU site involved in geophysics-related research.

During the summer of 2008, Klein conducted research at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. His mentor was Dr. James McClelland. His work with Dr. McClelland is titled Nutrient and Organic Matter Dynamics in Tidally-Influenced Freshwater Sections of the Mission and Aransas Rivers, South Texas.

“Tidal freshwater reaches are not terribly well studied, and our study focused on how nutrients such as nitrate and phosphates from agriculture runoff or wastewater were being processed within those reaches,” Klein said.

AGU is a worldwide scientific community that advances, through unselfish cooperation in research, the understanding of Earth and space for the benefit of humanity. AGU is a scientific society with a membership of 50,000 researchers, teachers, and students. AGU conducts meetings and conferences, publishes journals, books and a weekly newspaper, and sponsors a variety of educational and public information programs.

Klein, a Dean’s List student, will graduate in spring 2009. He is the son of Sheryl and Milton Klein.
 

Bruce Conley
Director News Information
Phone: 605.274.5526
Fax: 605.274.4903