Hobart and William Smith Colleges

This week, we take a look at the research HWS students are conducting working with HWS’ Finger Lakes Institute this summer. Here, FLI Lab Manager Trevor Massey, Daudi Aden ’26, Ingrid Miller ’26, Caroline Gannon ’26, Anjalee Wanduragala ’25, Isabella Mujevic ’26 and Jaylynn McCarthy ’26 pose for a photo aboard the William Scandling research vessel.

The William Scandling research vessel on Seneca Lake.

Aboard the William Scandling, Jaylynn McCarthy ‘26 retrieves a sample from a plankton net to analyze under a microscope.

Daudi Aden ’26 prepares an Exo Sonde before it is lowered into Seneca Lake to profile water chemistry at different depths.

Caroline Gannon ‘26 and FLI Lab Manager Trevor Massey look at a depth and temperature graph to determine the thermocline sampling point on the William Scandling research vessel.

Anjalee Wanduragala ‘25 and Isabella Mujevic ’26 record the environmental conditions of Seneca Lake in a field notebook.

At the Geneva Lakefront, Isabella Mujevic ‘26 and Maddy Buck ‘26 collect surface water samples from Seneca Lake to survey total nutrients and chlorophyll while Program Assessment Manager Bill Brown executes a rake-toss to sample rooted macrophytes from the bottom of the boat launch.

On a dock at Keuka Lake State Park, Isabella Mujevic ‘26 filters surface water for dissolved nutrients while Maddy Buck ‘26 logs the temperature, wind speed and weather conditions.

Maddy Buck ‘26 and Isabella Mujevic ‘26 identify and sort macrophytes collected from the boat launch at Keuka Lake State Park to develop knowledge that aids in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species throughout the Finger Lakes.

In the Finger Lakes Institute lab, Jaylynn McCarthy ’26 and Ingrid Miller ’26 prepare a slide containing a sample collected from Seneca Lake.

An assortment of zooplankton including copepods and rotifers from Seneca Lake are examined under a microscope.

Daudi Aden ’26 analyzes data collected to gain insights in the water chemistry and temperature profiles of Seneca Lake.

At HWS’ Henry Hanley Biological Field Preserve, Anjalee Wanduragala ‘25 secures water samples that have been treated with different concentrations of nutrients to floating mesocosm racks.

An aerial view of the 108-acre Henry Hanley Biological Field Preserve with Cayuga Lake in the background.

Anjalee Wanduragala ‘25 and Caroline Gannon ‘26 place the mesocosm racks into a pond at Henry Hanley Biological Field Preserve to simulate the conditions typical for algal growth in the region. After 5 days, Chlorophyll levels in the samples are measured and will help determine which nutrients drive this growth.