Photo Credit: NASA

CAA Foundation funds all environment projects on Experiment

Today we’re happy to announce that thanks to a special contribution, all ecology and earth science projects have been funded.

The CAA Foundation has funded every environment project on the site in honor of Earth Day. CAA is an agency that works with many well-known sports, entertainment, and music clients.

In total, $25,000 was pledged to nine projects fully funding all environment projects. The gift was spread across scientific projects in six states (Tennessee, Massachusetts, Arizona, Oklahoma, Delaware, New Jersey) and three countries (United States, England, Columbia). 64% of the scientists in the group are undergraduate or graduate students. As the scientists conduct their experiments, the project supporters will receive lab notes on the process of the science and scientific results.

Here are a few of the projects that are funded:

Stressed out Salamanders: Effect of habitat availability on salamanders in the Southern Appalachian Mountains by Trevor Chapman, at East Tennessee University

Salamanders in Southern Appalachian Mountains are threatened by habitat loss. This project is seeking to know how temperature, humidity, and soil temperature affect the health of salamanders based on stress hormones.

Drought Adaptation in a Threatened White Pine by Ethan Bucholz, Ehren Moler, and Kristen Waring at Northern Arizona University.

This ongoing project is studying how southwestern white pine is adapting to drought conditions. The funding will help them add more capacity for forest genetics research.

Birds eavesdrop on plant indirect defenses to locate insect preys by Ivan Hiltpold and Greg Shriver, at University of Delaware

Some plants and crops give off volatile chemicals when they are being eaten by insect pets. For the first time, this project will test if birds can detect and smell these signals, and how it can be used for a natural pest control strategy for agriculture and conservation.

The generous donation by an organization such as CAA, gives me such hope for the future of scientific research. It is only through community support and involvement that researchers can continue to make necessary new discoveries. Anthropogenic effects are a major concern globally, having organizations that are not only knowledgable, but willing to put in financial backing is so crucially important to the future of scientific discovery as well as the health and wellbeing of the planet and its inhabitants.

— Ann Money, Oklahoma State University